﻿CPEC project falling prey to politics

LARKANA: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said unnecessary secrecy, unilateral decisions and authoritarian mind-set has made the fate-changing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project controversial.

Provinces continue to cry foul over the mega project due to lack of transparency and it is the responsibility of the central government to save project from falling prey to the politics, aid Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW in a statement issued from Islamabad.

Government should take concrete steps to allay reservations of small provinces and that of Gilgit-Baltistan lest it endanger the project which can change the destiny of every Pakistani, said Dr. Mughal.

He said that the project enjoyed unprecedented support of the masses in the beginning but absence of consensus and some half-hearted steps by the government without taking stakeholders into confidence changed the situation. Why other provinces would support a project when its details are kept hidden from them and even the federal ministers, provincial planning commissions and the chief of the central bank are kept in dark, he asked.

Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that China is completing parts of the corridor in other countries but it is still a topic of debate in Pakistan which is unfortunate.

The differences over CPEC route etc. is frustrating Chinese government and companies, disappointing local and foreign investors and sending a very wrong signal, he noted.

Secrecy has not only paved way for suspicion but it has also encouraged some elements to use social media for fake maps and wrong news which can harm harmony among federating units. He asked the politicians to leans lesson from failure of Kalabagh dam project and stop sacrificing national interests for personal gains.