Islamabad: Different civil society organisations protested in capital of Pakistan against the change in Pak-China Economic Corridor on Sunday.
According to the press statement issued by protesters from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and FATA, change in the design of Pak China Economic Corridor (PCEC) will cause social damage to underdeveloped areas of Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and FATA.
Press statement is hereunder:
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Balochistan are the most underdeveloped and greatly deprived regions of Pakistan and this corridor can help bring these areas at far with the other regions of Pakistan. However, Anti-Federation attitude of the current PML-N Government and establishment are trying to deprive these areas from this opportunity on baseless pretexts.
The sense of marginalization in the small provinces of Pakistan and in FATA is growing, which is detrimental for a strong federation. The proposed route will further exacerbate the feeling of deprivation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and FATA. We reject this act of prejudice and neglect towards these underdeveloped and marginalized areas. We will not accept any route for the Pakistan-China Economic corridor (PCEC) other than the one passes through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and adjacent to FATA. The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Balochistan understand that depriving these areas of the economic corridor will mean that these areas are intentionally kept under poverty, deprivation and terrorism, which will have grave consequences not only for them but for the peace and unity of the Federation of Pakistan.
We demand from the federal government to keep this corridor to the route which passes through Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Balochistan & FATA as per resolutions of the Khyber Pakhtunkwa assembly, and also demand that immediate work should be started on this said route. We will continue our protests throughout Pakistan if our demands are not met.
