Speaker KP approaches PHC over western route of CPEC

PESHAWAR: Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday submitted a writ petition at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) over the western route of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Speaker of the provincial assembly Asad Qaisar named the federal government, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) in the petition questioning whether the western route of the CPEC is part of the project or not.

Speaking to media outside the premises of the court, Qaisar said he, his party nor his government was against the CPEC.

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In fact, he said, the provincial government was willing to see the project achieve great success in the future.

But, Qaisar maintained that all provinces must be benefitted from the grand Pak-China project equally.

On the other hand, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal felt remorse after the KP government approached the court on the CPEC.

However, he hoped that Islamabad would be able to resolve the issue after negotiation with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) led provincial government.

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Earlier, the federal minister had dispelled an impression that the province of KP was being neglected in the CPEC, adding that the project would benefit the less developed and previously neglected areas of the country.

In a statement, he had stated worriedly that if the KP govt took a legal turn, it would create problems for the province only in terms of attracting foreign investment.

Iqbal had said the construction work on the western route of the corridor was underway in full swing and that the Gwadar-Quetta road would be soon completed before the set time.