Chinese Investments Divide Pakistani Provinces

[Sunan]

apne papa ko be idiot kehte ho ap k waladain ne achi tarbehat ki hai

The fact is u dont have any argument now.U were just barking on EC route before without any research.U r acting same like imran khan bark first and then get embaraced..

 

[nomi007]

The fact is u dont have any argument now.U were just barking on EC route before without any research.U r acting same like imran khan bark first and then get embaraced..

yr aise words apne baap ko bol 1 public forum pe aa k kuch sharam kar
2nd listen this hope u understand

 

[Wolfhound]

Chinese Investments Divide Pakistani Provinces


As Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his latest trip to Pakistan, the multibillion-dollar investments he inaugurated have prompted an escalating conflict.

Leaders from two of Pakistan's minority provinces have called on the dominant province of Punjab to stop manipulating the investments to serve its interests, further cement what they call its stranglehold over Pakistan's economy, resources and institutions.

Xi, who left Pakistan on April 21, formally announced projects worth $28 billion. They are part of a $46 billion investment in infrastructure and energy schemes called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The more than 2,000-kilometer corridor aims to link the Xingjian region in western China to Pakistan's southern Arabian Sea seaport, Gwadar, through roads and rail links. More than $34 billion will go into electricity generation.

Islamabad is touting the initiative as transformative because of its potential to resolve Pakistan's acute electricity shortages and turn the country into a regional trade hub.

Leaders from the underdeveloped provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, however, accuse the current Pakistani government of maneuvering roads, rail networks and power generation away from their homeland into Punjab.

The region is the key powerbase of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) party. Home to nearly 100 million people, Punjab already boasts most of Pakistan's industry and agriculture. It dominates the rank and file of the country's powerful military and claims a lion's share of national resources and institutions.

Pakistan's natural resources, coastal and trade routes, however, are located in the remaining three provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and mountainous territories adjoining India, China and Afghanistan.

Afrasiab Khattak, a senior leader of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa–based Awami National Party, says the real issue is not the rail and road networks but rather electricity generation and the industrial zones that are now largely slated for Punjab.

"Most people in Pakistan welcome Islamabad's alliance with Beijing and are eager for Chinese investment," he told RFE/RL's Gandhara website. "But we Pashtuns are worried that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the adjacent FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and Balochistan are being left out of CPEC."

Khattak says Punjab's politicians and civil and military bureaucrats have dominated resource distribution and decision-making since Pakistan's creation 67 years ago.

"They see Punjab as Pakistan's core heartland while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Balochistan are considered disposable peripheries whose prosperity never matters," he said.

Days before Jinping's arrival in Islamabad on April 20, Khattak's party was briefed about the project. Ashan Iqbal, Pakistan's planning minister in charge of overseeing the Chinese-financed projects, attempted to quell skepticism over whether the project will only benefit Punjab or will bring jobs, security and investments to other regions.

Khattak says Iqbal tried to assure ANP and other political parties that none of the three road networks linking Gwadar and Xingjian will be changed. The minister, he added, assured them a western road from Gwadar through Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be constructed in addition to upgrading the existing Indus Highway and the Islamabad–Lahore–Karachi motorway.

The Indus Highway connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's capital, Peshawar, to the southern seaport of Karachi and mostly runs along the river Indus in central Pakistan. The Islamabad–Lahore motorway was opened in 1997 and is being extended nearly 1,100 kilometers to link Lahore with Karachi, which in turn is connected to Gwadar by a coastal highway.

Khattak says Iqbal gave no details about the investment in electricity generation and industry. "He only said the government has not yet decided the location of those projects," he said. "The corridor really means the location of industry and power generation, which is still not clear, and this is the main issue."

The "Wall Street Journal" recently reported that most of the coal mining and coal-powered power stations, hydroelectric dams, solar power parks and wind farms are located in Punjab and the southern province of Sindh.

The controversy has united moderate and nationalist political groups with leftists and Islamist political parties in the two provinces. Fearing protests, Islamabad closed the main road linking Islamabad to Peshawar on April 20. Political leaders issued emotional statements and #RejectAlternativeRoute trended on Twitter on April 20.

Some politicians have even lobbied Chinese diplomats and officials.

"In a brief meeting with Jinping, we told him the corridor should focus on regions ravaged by terrorism," Khattak said. "We emphasized this will prove instrumental in defeating terror. He told us we were absolutely right."

ANP leader Iftikhar Hussain warned the controversy might turn the two provinces against China. "If someone is determined to commit an economic genocide of our people, it is my duty to resort to everything possible to defend them," he told journalists in Peshawar. "If our legal and peaceful protests are not heard, we will be forced to adopt illegal and extraconstitutional means."

In Balochistan, passions also ran high. Osman Kakar represents the province in Pakistan's upper house, or Senate. He told Radio Mashaal Sharif's administration is so committed to Punjab it even refrained from building a single electricity generation project in Balochistan where the potential for coal, solar and wind power is abundant.

"It seems this corridor is a joint venture between China and Punjab rather than between Pakistan and China," he said.

Kakar's Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party was behind a provincial assembly resolution in Balochistan in February that called on Islamabad to make investments in the province.

"The Pashtuns have rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism. More than 40,000 or our people were killed and millions displaced," he said. "Why should we always be the losers while Punjab reaps all the perks and privileges?"

CPEC, however, faces complete opposition from Baluch separatists, who accuse Beijing of being complicit in helping Islamabad exploit their resource-rich, marginalized homeland.

Baluch separatists have repeatedly warned China to refrain from investing in the region because of fears it will attract a population movement from Punjab and Karachi, reducing the Baluch to a minority at home.

Separatist Baluch militants are also suspected of being behind attacks on Chinese workers in Gwadar and other parts of the region in recent years.

"[The development of] Gwadar [port] is a matter of life and death for the Baluch," wrote Sanaullah Baloch, a former lawmaker from Balochistan. "Any unilateral decision by Islamabad concerning the fate of Gwadar will be opposed by the Baluch at all levels."

Prime Minister Sharif attempted to address these concerns while speaking to Pakistani Parliament on April 21. "It will benefit the entire country and all the provinces of Pakistan," he told lawmakers minutes before the Chinese leader was to speak. "Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir [will benefit]."

Khattak, however, says they won't be swayed by empty promises.

"The Pakistani establishment has only gifted extremist madrasahs, terrorist training camps and misery to Pakhtunkhwa," he said. "But industry, development, prosperity and new technologies are always granted to Punjab."

Khattat says the dispute over Chinese investments doesn't bode well for Pakistan's future stability.

"Pakistan cannot be an unequal federation. How can you drive a car with a wheel from a bulldozer and a scooter?" he concluded.

Chinese Investments Divide Pakistani Provinces


Why don't you people understand?
Bangladesh was formed precisely because the Punjabi Leadership wasn't ready to share leadership with Mujibar Rehman.

This is one shit stain of an article not even worth the read.

 

[Jazzbot]

The article is bullcr@p, there is nothing like provincial divide in Pakistan especially under recent govts. Yes there is healthy competition but all provinces acted as one when needed, recent military operation against TTP is an example.


About Economic Corridor, there is ambiguity about its route as mentioned by @nomi007 in above post. And govt is deliberately creating this confusion. They are trying to keep things hidden. There is a possibility that they have changed the route to benefit Punjab and they are trying to hide it. Looking at their past performances, this is highly expected from N-league, they have done such things in past.

 

[kangz]

Indians play again!

Indians envy?

 

[Al Bhatti]

Yes there is healthy competition but all provinces acted as one when needed, recent military operation against TTP is an example.

This is what is required. Competition between provinces to provide the best they can to their people and that in turn will benefit the nation as a whole.

You provide one good thing in a province and it directly or indirectly benefits other provinces.


-------------------------------




@Jazzbot @cb4 @nomi007 @Sunan


Maybe there is something the people in the government know about the route which the common people or media does not know.

If China has agreed on a route of course they have done their research, study and analysis and made the decision. They did not just agree to something for the sake of agreeing it.

If need be each province can build a free trade and manufacturing zone in their respective provinces and build a road to link it to the corridor. Such zones do not have to be built right on the corridor. You can connect these zones to the corridor by a purpose built road some KMs in length.

This is just a small example, imagine if the right people sit and study this, you may have at least one free trade zone in land or on the sea (like Jabal Ali free Zone for example) in each province connected to the corridor by a road.

Baluchistan will get Gwadar Free Zone connected to the corridor

Sindh can build it’s own free trade and manufacturing zone on the sea or inland and connect to the corridor.

KPK can do the same by establishing an inland free trade and manufacturing zone and connect it to the corridor and also connect the zone to the road leading to Afghanistan.

Punjab can do the same by establishing an inland free trade and manufacturing zone and connect it to the corridor.

Well in provinces where the rivers flow they can study about an inland free zone built on the banks of a river and some sort of water transportation be developed providing some sort of service to such free zones. China has one such special economic zone built on a river (I don't remember the name now).

Imagine at least 5 free zones as mentioned above (one in each province) competing to attract foreign and local investors by providing best possible services and facilities, and the result to the nation as a whole.

----

We can also develop the current EPZ's in different provinces and link them to the corridor.

 

[474474]

In other words, PTI, PPP, PMLQ, ANP, and MQM divide Pakistan.

You know what, let's just get rid of democracy all together - just make nehari sharif Ameer ul Munafiqeen.
And get rid of this elections non sense too, I mean why waste all these PMLn sher karkuns' time in rigging.

 

[chinapk]

Gandhara??? Well How Punjab is not sharing leadership with Other provinces exactly?? from 2008 to 2013 PPP was in Gov which was mostly elected from Sindh and Punjab.... Now PML-N is elected and every other provincial Government can start any Project they want after 18th amendment Like Punjab is Making metros in Different cities other can make something for their people according to their needs... The main Problem is Government Doesn't Released any Official Map of Pakistan China Economic corridor some people are making propaganda of that the Road is going from Sindh and Punjab not from KPK and Balochistan and many projects are being build in Punjab etc etc...


Bangladesh was formed precisely because the Punjabi Leadership wasn't ready to share leadership with Mujibar Rehman.???

All the pakistan people must unite with all forces to delevop the country,but argument. Argument ,scatteredforces is useless for the country.All the people in the country are brothers.

 

[ghoul]

I agree with the concerns expressed by members of other provinces, although I highly disagree with the nationalist twitterati form KPK. It appears Nawaz did actually make all coal power and electricity plants in Punjab, particularly the southern Punjab, which has been long ignored by the PML-N and is seeking a provincial status. Nawaz knows that if Southern Punjab became a separate province, Northern Punjab would follow suit, severely limiting Sharif family's influence and power, hence he's focusing his economic corridor on Southern Punjab.

And I agree, KPK and Balochistan should be the focus of economic corridor. If only Punjab and Sindh get developed, then population from other provinces would start migrating to Punjab and Sindh, which can't afford more people or else our fertile land and food security would get threatened. We can see this phenomenon of crappy housing societies springing all around GT road, when the same land could have been used to grow the crops we need to survive.

 

[I M Sikander]

A total bull shit article. Seems like writer dont even know a b c about Pakistan, and its politics.

 

[Gunsnroses]

Indian dont lose a chance to create any missunderstanding between pakistani people..

This is precisely the goal.

 

[Sheikh Rauf]

This is precisely the goal.

We sud highlights these unique articals and ban them instead of reading their trash thoughts.

 

[Gunsnroses]

We sud highlights these unique articals and ban them instead of reading their trash thoughts.

It's better to know what's in their mind rather being blind.

 

[I M Sikander]

This is precisely the goal.

A missed goal

 

[Gunsnroses]

A missed goal

But not always,sadly...