BATTAGRAM: The charged residents on Saturday here staged a protest rally on Karakoram Highway against shifting the benefits of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Punjab province.
They termed it a usurpation of rights of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan by the federal government and warned to continue their struggle unless the smaller provinces get their due share of the rights.
A large number of people joined the rally led by Corridor Front leaders Dr Masood Alam, Dr Mushtaq, Awami Workers Party leader Fanoos Gujjar, former federal minister Faqir Muhammad Khan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (ideological) general secretary Zubair Anjum.
The participants chanted slogans against the federal government for not taking people of the area into confidence and depriving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of the benefits of the corridor.
Addressing the protest rally, Zubair Anjum said, “If we raise voice for our rights we are labeled as traitors and want to see the project failed.”
He blamed Nawaz Sharif and leaders of his party were in fact agents of the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
The JUI-ideological leader said that feudal of Punjab had businesses in India and not the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He condemned the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led federal government for allocating lion’s share of the benefits of the CPEC project to Punjab. He added that KP was a backward province that should have been given maximum share in the project. He lamented that depriving the province of availing the benefits of CPEC project would further push it towards backwardness.
He lamented the government treated the people of the province as they had treated people of the East Pakistan. He warned of dire consequences and said the deprivation would force the people of the province to resort to harsh steps.
“Let me remind the government that Punjab is not the only province in Pakistan. It has three other provinces too which should be equal share of the benefits accruing with the CPEC project,” he said.
He said as the corridor would pass through the area and affect a large part of the province. The federal government was yet to take into confidence people of the province regarding payment of the compensation amount.
Speakers on the occasion slammed the government for keeping details of the project confidential and said the affectees were yet to be informed about the compensation amount and packages given to them after its completion.
They also criticized KP chief minister who once claimed section-4 would not be implemented in the province unless its people were taken into confidence regarding the details of the project.
“The chief minister has deceived its people as section-4 has been imposed banning sale and purchase of the property,” Zubair Anjum lamented.
