Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Office bearers of Corridor Front (CF) announced on Wednesday that they would hold a massive protest on 24 July at Tekht-e-Nasrati district Karak against the federal government for changing the route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“We announce a massive protest campaign from today against the federal government for depriving the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in CPEC project” said Dr Said Alam Mehsud, convener of CF at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club. He said that it would be extended to other parts of the province aimed at mobilising the masses to protest against the snatching their valid rights. He maintained that a public gathering would be held at Tahkot on20th August to further pressurise the central government for accepting the Pakhtunm people’s share in the economic corridor.

He added it was clear that Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharief had deceived the KP people by making pledges and announcements regarding the western route of CPEC project. He said that the corridor route would have to pass from Burhan M1 through Peshawar, Kohat, Karak, Banuue, Lakki Marwar, Dera Ismail Khan, and then through Zob to Gwadar.

“We informed the Chinese government that PM Nawaz had cheated and made changes in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor route” he stressed. Mr Mehsood said the preplanned changes on the western route would cause a deteriorating situation and racial issues across the country which would be more dangerous even that the current terrorism threat. The changes in the route, he said, were neither fruitful for China nor for provincial harmony in Pakistan.

He said that security division could not control further conspiracies to deprive KP, Gilgit Baltistan, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan from their basic rights.

He said that the KP chief minister had announced that the provincial government would not sell the lands to federal government for the corridor passing between Tahkot and Havelia until the corridor was put on right. “But now the KP government is going to sell the land to the federal government,” he said and warned that if the PTI government made such a mistake the CF members would mobilise the KP and FATA people against the provincial government and the KP government would be responsible for creating this situation.

Mehsood said that CF had already presented its agenda consisting of 10 points regarding CPEC, and without accepting these points no powers of the world could purchase the land for building the corridor.

He said that head of all political parties, associations’ heads, and elders would participate in the 20th July mass gathering wherein date would be announced for Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Havelia and Haripur. Talking on the occasion Begam Nasim Wali said that she would fight for the rights of the Pakhtoon nation and would support every programme which was in KP’s favour. She said that making changes in the corridor route would darken the future of KP, even saying it would be better to die than accept changes in the western route. She vowed that she would render for every sacrifice possible for the CPEC corridor.