CPEC – Moving Beyond the Route Controversy

During past few weeks, the extraordinary fanfare attached to the mega long-term plan of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was seen as ostensibly giving way to a national level controversy of equal, rather higher, proportions – revolving particularly around the alleged route change. However, the air seems to be clearing with the statement of the visiting Chinese FM that the CPEC aims at connecting the whole of Pakistan.  

Hostile voices have been raised by none other than parliamentarians themselves on what they term as the change in the ‘original’ plan. The chest-thumping reached unprecedented heights when the senators from KP and Balochistan staged a walk-out from the senate on February 3, threatening that they would not accept any alteration of the route, which according to them was to originally link Dera Ismail Khan, Quetta and Zhob – in the overall Khunjrab-Gwadar corridor. Instead, senators claimed, the PML-N led government has changed it to link Lahore and Multan suit the interests of few.

Later on February 6 the KP provincial assembly also passed a unanimous resolution asking the province’s government to raise the issue of change of the inter-regional passage with the federal government. Positions taken sound vociferous: one senator wowed to block the route change in the same way his party (ANP) did in the case of Kalabagh dam – a dam that never was – while another from the same party went on to warn of the dangers to the very unity of the country. An independent senator chose even to switch sides from treasury to opposition benches, in protest. Senators from other parties also added their support. Media suggest that the so-called ‘civil society’ and the jirgas in some parts of the country are also in the agitating mood on the issue.

The government, through its minister for Planning and Development – the plan’s coordinating ministry on Pakistani side, with its Chinese counterpart being the National Development and Reform Commission of China – can be seen as trying to ‘clarify’ the situation. It says that no change has been made in the route; adding that several routes and alignments have been identified – of which the one that can be immediately put into operation by using the existing infrastructure is being opened up first, in mutual consultation with the Chinese side. The clarification implies that more ‘routes’ will be coming up with the passage of time. On the face of it, the clarification sounds logical.

The minister however adds another line, i.e, as the Chinese president’s rescheduled visit is becoming a likely happening by next month; the forces against Pak-China closeness are up at it again – jeopardize it. Well, considering the complexity of internal and external factors at play in the affairs of Pakistan as well as evolving regional situation, that too can simply not be ruled out. Particularly so considering the timing of the fury – soon after the dates for rescheduled visit of Chinese president to Pakistan started surfacing – and just before the nominations for senate elections. While the senator from Balochistan who switched to opposition benches is left with only a month in his tenure; the one warning of the country’s breakup has a track record of championing closer trade ties with a hostile neighbor and the gentleman has too been active on several international trade bodies – all competitors to China (in case of Pakistan) in one way or the other. So, everything, from vested ‘international’ interests to bargaining for the coming senate elections is involved – with many facets.

The fact of the matter is that even those championing the cause of people of smaller provinces vis-à-vis CPEC do not have any proof that a specific, agreed upon ‘original’ route existed, which has now been altered.  All they refer to is a set of several proposals that have been coming up from time to time by various governmental departments involved. It also defies logic that the leadership of the two countries would have agreed upon a single ‘route’ for such as wide-ranging initiative that can rightly be termed as China and Pakistan’s joint version of “Plan for the 21^st Century” – though the initiative itself has its own share of drawbacks and limitations, from very concept to what has been agreed upon and put into action by now. And not to mention the way of doing things involved specially so on our own, Pakistani, side.

Sincerity of those making a case out of the feared disadvantages to the KP and Balochistan should also not be colored in black altogether, citing a drive against Pak-China ties. Nor should it become a cover that interests of only a particular group, province or region are served better in the fog. While ill-information and misinformation galore – the federal government on its part must bear the blame for not coming up with transparent information regarding the whole plan, and well in time. Even the proposals brought forward in this connection should have been discussed among the stakeholders – all federating units, FATA and GB – thoroughly, to the satisfaction of all, building much needed consensus.

The minister’s statement that all provincial governments have been consulted, now, is rather quite late. It cannot be treated as all being on board when only the chief minister of Punjab, who happens to be a brother of the PM, was seen accompanying the latter on his series of visits to China. Had the equal, say equitable, treatment been accorded to the CMs of other provinces, the governments of GB and Balochistan would not have been forced to write a letter each to the federal government, complaining that they have been ignored. Reports about some of the energy projects including coal-fired Gadani power plants being removed from the early harvest program of the CPEC are also disturbing and make a strong case of presenting the clear picture to the people.

It is never too late, though. The onus is on the federal government as the ‘big brother.’ The issues involved should be taken up on priority, with immediate and focused efforts for an un-ignorable consensus required before the Chinese president lands in Pakistan. The need is to take CPEC forward as a project of vital national interest for the all the people as well as entire length and breadth of the country’s territory.

By Irfan Shahzad. He works with the Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad and tweets @Irfan_Zad