Balochistan needs priority projects under CPEC: Fehmida Jamali
President of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) Women Wing Balochistan, Fehmida Jamali said Balochistan needs priority projects under CPEC for the transformation of Economic Growth as Balochistan and its Gwadar port have been the only reason for Chinese interest and investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) providing China with greater connectivity to Central Asia, Africa and Europe. However, Balochistan, including its port city of Gwadar, is not being given its due share compared with the mighty projects allocated to central Punjab.
Talking to media, she said ideally most projects coming under the CPEC should have been allocated to the poor areas of Balochistan and the rest of the country by providing connecting routes and support, but the vote bank of the Nawaz government is in Punjab and the long-term policy of rewarding the rich and powerful areas for being rich and powerful has been the reason for allotting major projects to certain areas, which will only ensure that the people of Balochistan remain poor, powerless and neglected.
The smaller provinces have been protesting against the unfair distribution of wealth and projects for decades and the planned distribution of the CPEC projects will only widen the gap between Lahore and Gwadar. Our ruling elites need to realise that the surest way of removing any separatist tendencies that there may be in Balochistan will be to rectify the grievances of the Baloch by simply providing them their fair share in CPEC projects for the revival of economic growth.
Jamali further mentioned that the dusty desert city of Khuzdar in Balochistan has no hospital and no commercial flights into its tiny airport, but government officials who visited recently spoke in glowing terms of its future as a hub of commerce.
"I want to know that what share Balochistan will get and what the other provinces will get and what is the criteria?" she added and told we just want to make sure that under CPEC the same thing does not happen to us as 1952, when gas was found in Balochistan and yet in 2017 there is no gas in Khuzdar.-PR
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