ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has invited leaders of parliamentary parties over a briefing on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC) on May 13, 2015.
Two day ago in the National Assembly, the opposition parties asked the government to refrain from making another controversy like “Kalabagh Dam” over much hyped $46 billion investment on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying that the route of multibillion dollars project should be explained with minute details.
Then on the demand of opposition parties, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar promised with PTI to bring this issue in the notice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and will arrange a detailed briefing for political parties within next 10 days.
Both the PTI and ANP have been making hue and cry over the petty issues just in a bid to make the project controversial. PTI MNA Assad Umar in a TV Talk Show had claimed that the whole project had become controversial like Kalabagh Dam.
But, malicious bids of both the parties have proved counterproductive because their stance failed in wining public appeal. On the contrary both the parties have become target of severe criticism for trying to make a project of national importance controversial.
A well placed official source at Finance Ministry told this scribe here that the government has taken this initiative to remove the concerns and doubts expressed by different quarters about the route change and others matters related to the CPEC.
Last Thursday, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar announced at the dinner hosted by former President and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari that a briefing for leaders of parliamentary political parties on CPEC would be arranged at the PM House.
Federal Minister for Planning Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal have also said on a number of occasion to give both the in house or in camera briefing to the members of the parliament or parliamentary heads and party heads of political parties on the said issues.
Soon after Prime Minister’s return from visit abroad, on request from the Finance Minister, the said briefing for the leaders of various political parties has been arranged at the PM House Finance Minister Dar has already contacted the leaders of MQM, PPP, ANP and PTI on phone and on behalf of the Prime Minister extended them invitation to attend the briefing on CPEC.
It is pertinent to note here that Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has been making efforts to overcome malicious propaganda against CPEC, saying that CPEC was not only a road network but it was focused on development of four sectors to generate economic activities throughout the country in a big way.
Major components of the Corridor include development of Gwadar Deep Sea Port, Energy Generation Projects, Development of Industry and Establishment of New Economic Zones both in China and Pakistan.
No new route has been proposed under the Corridor while the focus will be on improving and rebuilding existing routes in the country to ultimately link them with Gwadar Port, which has to bear the load of economic and trade activities in future.
Four routes will be constructed including Gwadar-Surab-Quetta-D. I. Khan Road, Gawadar-Sukkur Road, Karachi-Lahore Motorway and Islamabad-Mianwali-D.G.Khan-Jaccobabad Road.
