C for CPEC, Callousness and Controversy

[Moonlight]

We are in no position to reject or accept anything, its a Chinese project and thus under their discretion. Its just political point scoring going on between parties who feel their position would be undermined if this government completes this project so they will halt it and cause a massive loss to the nation rather than let the government complete it and take credit.

Got it. Thanks!
Here's another question, why everything has to pass via Lahore? Like motorway, M1/2? Isn't it a valid argument? Pakistan is not just Lahore.

Can you please explain this map to me?

 

[Icarus]

Got it. Thanks!
Here's another question, why everything has to pass via Lahore? Like motorway, M1/2? Isn't it a valid argument? Pakistan is not just Lahore.
View attachment 286937

Can you please explain this map to me?

The because its Pakistan's second largest city? Same as why everything has to pass through Karachi.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

There is some consolation in knowing that this is Chinese money though and they never make a bad investment, the Chinese will complete this project even if they have to build a road that is suspended over the whole country.

Very true. $46 billion is a huge amount of money, and more importantly, it's a geostrategic imperative for us, it is a cornerstone of our overarching vision of increasing economic connectivity in the Asian landmass.

It will be completed for sure.

 

[Moonlight]

The because its Pakistan's second largest city? Same as why everything has to pass through Karachi.

Ha' Now I see the problem there. Thanks!

 

[Viper0011.]

well you do have some valid points but i would like you to have a look at this CPEC project's pic, which shows where most of the power projects are going to be made hence out of $46 billion $37-$39 billion is going to be spent on energy projects. And in this whole chain of projects KPK will get only one project, so means out of $39 billion may be $700 millions -$1 billion are going in KPK share.
View attachment 286915
KPK's reservations are not the route or road but more of the unavailability of all other utilities like energy, fibre optic, gas which are vital for flourishing of any industry, its easy to say KPK is going to be benefited the most but how?

plus i was wondering what on earth METRO LAHORE has got anything to do with CPEC?

1) Wrong map. Remember, you are ONLY looking at Phase I. People are causing tremendous drama without knowing the entire roadmap over the next 10-15 years!!

2) The ONLY two most beneficial states are the KPK and Baluchistan, like i said in my explanation above. Both are the epicenter of the CPEC due to their closer proximity to the Chinese border, with Central Russian states, and with Gawader (and later with Iran). So the real wealth will be going to the KPK and Baluchistan. These foolish politicians from the KPK are making a deal out of thin air, just to score political points and deprive the nation from the ONLY real opportunity she has to turn Pakistan into an Australia in a decade or so (literally).

3) The energy projects you mentioned, are just for phase I. The map is wrong on those too. Find an original map if you have access to it. The Chinese have some security concerns, and the Pakistani Army has started working on securing a larger area. Until all those things happen, the Chinese will work on "secure zones" as they deem necessary. Its their money and they control the delivery and work zones. Just the way investments work.

4) Metro Lahore has no direct relationship with the CPEC. In other words, it may also have a huge investment from the Chinese, but its not due to the CPEC trade route. However, it is indirectly linked to the CPEC in terms of CPEC being used as a larger PROGRAM to grow Pakistan's economy.

The Chinese, as phase II of the CPEC when starts in 2019 - 2020, will be putting big manufacturing plants around the country's most populous areas. Haer has been looking into Lahore for her first plant.

So the infrastructure development at the province level is to create modern cities which will connect the city's population cheaply to outside industrial zones, as well as reducing traffic congestion, connecting more people for work, etc. All of which will shape up future's Lahore, Islamabad, etc when they get into real growth mode by 2018!!

 

[Icarus]

Very true. $46 billion is a huge amount of money, and more importantly, it's a geostrategic imperative for us, it is a cornerstone of our overarching vision of increasing economic connectivity in the Asian landmass.

It will be completed for sure.

It would be more rewarding though if this project can be completed with consensus of everybody on board but unfortunately any significant project has to be deferred for petty point scoring. I remember when the Motorway was being built, Benazir Bhutto lead a mass movement against its construction on the political slogan that the poor do not drive sports cars that they need a motorway, this project is for the rich. Just imagine what a stupid campaign that was and now try to realize that this campaign actually held up the motorway for several years before it was finally constructed and since then has become the jugular vein of Pakistan's transport system.

 

[saiyan0321]

Swat Motorway, Sharmai, Shogoin, Shushgai power stations, 500-bedded trauma burn hospital, EPZs in Rashakai, Nowshera, Hattar, D I Khan, trucking terminal in Mansehra, Peshawar, Bannu among identified projects

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has conveyed to the Chinese authorities projects of critical importance to the development of the province for inclusion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Sharing details with this scribe, a top-ranking official of the Planning and Development Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the Chinese leaders involved with the CPEC project had been sanitised about the projects desired by the province.

The official, pleading anonymity, said at least 12 such projects had been identified to the Chinese delegation led by special envoy of President Xi Jinping, and director China Development and Reform Commission, Xu Shaoshi.

The official said that at the Joint Cooperation Committee’s 5th meeting, the provincial government requested Xu Shaoshi to include some of the potential projects including the construction of 81 kilometres long Swat Motorway, Sharmai, Shogosin and Shusghai hydropower projects and 500-bed trauma and burn hospital in Peshawar.

The provincial government has also recommended to the Chinese Development Commission head that special Economic Zones at Rashakai, Nowshera, Hattar and Dera Ismail Khan, and trucking and logistic terminal in Mansehra, Peshawar and Bannu should also be developed as part of the CPEC, he said.

He claimed that the provincial government wanted all these projects to be included in the CPEC as part of the construction of the western route of the corridor along with all allied infrastructure of gas, LNG, optic fiber and electricity projects.

He said the provincial government had informed the Chinese delegation at the Joint Cooperation Committee’s conference that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had announced on May 28, 2015 in the All Parties Conference that the western route passing through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be the route of the corridor, but it has now been reduced to a mere highway.

He said the provincial representative Khaliqur Rehman, who is a parliamentary secretary, in his remarks at the 5th Joint Cooperation Committee’s meeting also informed the Chinese delegation that the western route of the corridor, which was the original route of the project, was 635 kilometre shorter than the realigned eastern route. Khaliqur Rehman emphasized that an immediate start on work on the western route was needed.

The P&D official referred to the document of the presentation made at the May 28 All Parties Conference, and said that the federal government had identified 14 priority power projects for the CPEC including Suki Kinari hydropower, the only one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, having capacity of 840 megawatt and costing $1.8 billion.

The official added that one of the requirements of the CPEC was those projects that are being actively promoted by the provinces. The projects recommended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are actively promoted projects and part of the provincial government’s economic development vision.

He pointed out that medium-term power projects of 144 MW Shusghai in Chitral district, Shogosin (132 MW) and Sharmai (150 MW), are of part of the provincial government’s Action Plan. “These projects will be completed by the end of 2018 at the cost of just Rs130.90 billion to generate 626 megawatts electricity,” he said.

According to the official, the provincial government has established the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (EZDMC) that is actively pursuing the projects of industrial estates and economic zones in the areas recommended by the provincial government for the CPEC and which only the other day were recommended to the prime minister by the committee formed for the purpose.

He said EZDMC was actively working on the establishment of phase seven of the Industrial Estate Hattar, Special Economic Zone along the Motorway M-I, Rashakai, Nowshera, Industrial Estate Ghazi, Haripur, Industrial Estate Jalozai, Industrial Estate, Dera Ismail Khan, Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Risalpur, Industrial Estate Nowshera, EPZ at the border of Kohat and Karak district, Industrial Estate Gadoon Amazai, Mineral Based Industrial Estate Chitral and the proposed Industrial Estate Buner, which could be “actively promoted projects” for the CPEC.

The official said if the federal government was serious in overcoming the challenges pinpointed at the JCC meeting, it would have to consider the projects identified by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be included in the CEPC.

- See more at: KP conveys projects to Chinese authorities for CPEC: Official | Pakistan | thenews.com.pk

 

[tarrar]

Anti Pakistan elements like ANP, JUI-F, MQM & surprisingly even PTI are throwing hurdles are becoming obstacle in the way of CPEC & mega Pakistani projects.

 

[Viper0011.]

@viper0011 sir thanks for the tag and I was totally looking for this.
That why the rout of this network is only going to be through the cities of Punjab? Pardon my lack of knowledge to this matter. Did China draw a different map to this route? This route goes through all the four provinces? But PML (N) rejected it?

You are welcome. The CPEC when used in a broader term of a program to grow the Pakistani economy, is a network of trade routes, infrastructure and industrial hubs,all connected to each other so that the trade can be done optimally, goods and services can be shipped and brought in as cheaply as possible. This requires an extremely complex strategy.

The MOST benefit and wealth will go to the KPK and Baluchistan due to this program. There is no question about it. So how could this "ignoring" taking place in places which will benefit the most from the CPEC ?. Its the stupid politicians who want to stop this and make their nation suffer!!

By the time the phase II starts, you'll start to see a vast network of highways being formed. The M series highways from Punjab will intersect with the CPEC in many cities so the common person or businessman can adapt the route which helps his or her business. That's the idea.

So people who think "all routes" will go through Punjab or the likes, are living in fool's paradise!!

These are the same narrow minded, anti-Pakistan's growth mentality people who shouldn't be calling themselves "leaders". The nation needs growth, GDP increase, better systems of schools, healthcare, education and a growing economy. Not stupid politics of 1980's all over again in 2014. Judge by performance, not by propaganda is all I'll tell you to do, if you want Pakistan to grow.

Enough talking, bullshiit, Marshall laws and leg pulling. Let's push Pakistan forward to a better position on the world map so her people can get a shot at the real future !!

 

[saiyan0321]

My biggest two worries stand are

a. Inflexibility of parties involved in this. Both parties federal and provincial govts need to show flexibility and give grounds to take ground. If they remain rigid then it will only result in bitterness and CPEC being halted which will result in a massive loss to Pakistan.

B. That this project is timed till 2030. That's 14 years away and in that 14 years we will have the 2018 elections, 2023 elections and the 2028 elections... As we very well know that when the new party comes to power they shut down or disturb the previous partys projects. So if N and PTI keep jumping around in federal then that will result in massive delays and scraping of projects as both are provincial parties rather than national parties.

This is going to be very tricky and parties will have to keep the interest of Pakistan above their vested interests.

 

[Viper0011.]

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has conveyed to the Chinese authorities projects of critical importance to the development of the province for inclusion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Sharing details with this scribe, a top-ranking official of the Planning and Development Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said the Chinese leaders involved with the CPEC project had been sanitised about the projects desired by the province.

The official said that at the Joint Cooperation Committee’s 5th meeting, the provincial government requested Xu Shaoshi to include some of the potential projects including the construction of 81 kilometres long Swat Motorway, Sharmai, Shogosin and Shusghai hydropower projects and 500-bed trauma and burn hospital in Peshawar.

The provincial government has also recommended to the Chinese Development Commission head that special Economic Zones at Rashakai, Nowshera, Hattar and Dera Ismail Khan, and trucking and logistic terminal in Mansehra, Peshawar and Bannu should also be developed as part of the CPEC, he said.

Yup. As always, Pakistanis being Pakistanis. Leg pulling at the best!! Allow me to break a "breaking news" to you. The Chinese didn't decide to invest $ 46 billion into Pakistan to feed and raise babies. They have CLEAR goals for their revenue return!! So, what that means is that they have NO care or concern to build a 500 bed trauma hospital or other stuff from above.

That should be the provincial government's responsibility to do so. But the provincial government in the KPK would just talk their way in and out of everything, but won't produce shiit.

"There were recommendations made" to the Chinese....before these recommendations were made, there were "threats" made to "shut down the highway" like IK style. The Chinese were very concerned about it. Do you think they have credibility of the KPK government? You can recommend anything, but they have a plan and that will be executed, period.

There is a reason why NS told them to run this with full authorization and without caring for Pakistani politics as everyone remembered Kala Bagh. So this time, the government of Pakistan is JUST a facilitator to provide land, security, materials and labor. Per the contract, it can't change anything that the Chinese want to do. End result, the CPEC will be built and KPK gets the biggest share of $$$$ after Baluchistan. So why not eat the freaking pie, instead of questioning the chef?

It would be more rewarding though if this project can be completed with consensus of everybody on board but unfortunately any significant project has to be deferred for petty point scoring. I remember when the Motorway was being built, Benazir Bhutto lead a mass movement against its construction on the political slogan that the poor do not drive sports cars that they need a motorway, this project is for the rich. Just imagine what a stupid campaign that was and now try to realize that this campaign actually held up the motorway for several years before it was finally constructed and since then has become the jugular vein of Pakistan's transport system.

You are absolutely right. The sad part is, the motorway helped the country's defense a lot too. The PAF all of a sudden found herself sitting on a goldmine of FOB's which didn't exist before. Not to mention, a safer secure inter-country route that's 150-200 KM or more away from the borders with India, providing the military with a tremendous back up supply chain network. Otherwise, it used to be just the Grand Trunk road, if India (like 65 and 71), ever got to it, the country would've been cut.

So this is a prime proof on how the cheap politician can turn a nation's lifeline projects into a convoluted piece of confusion. All to score political points and avoid others doing the work. This time, I'd say the people need to be out on the street protesting against politicians who want to stop this. These projects will effect every Pakistani in a good and financially beneficial way!!

 

[TaimiKhan]

The because its Pakistan's second largest city? Same as why everything has to pass through Karachi.

I am really amazed after having read your comments Icarus. I never thought you were from that group.

I do hope you will give some thought to the notion that why Indus highway is not being upgraded or preferred which is a shorter route for CPEC, rather the N5 is being preferred. I think the real design in doing that is very much visible.

 

[Icarus]

So this is a prime proof on how the cheap politician can turn a nation's lifeline projects into a convoluted piece of confusion. All to score political points and avoid others doing the work. This time, I'd say the people need to be out on the street protesting against politicians who want to stop this. These projects will effect every Pakistani in a good and financially beneficial way!!

That would be ideal but the problem is that this ill-informed and contorted view of the project is actually being parroted by a large segment of the population. All of a sudden, everyone is an expert on the matter and Peshawar needs a new Fibre Optic Link for some reason.

 

[fjavaid]

But thats the whole point, route wahan nahi ruk raha.



I can't say I am surprised but I had perhaps deluded myself into thinking this fractured wreck we call a country could finally agree on something. I don't get Pakistan sometimes, if the people are so sick of the Federation, why don't they just call for a referendum and cede? But when you voice that alternative, all of a sudden the most bitter critic of the federation becomes enraged and defends the federation with such vigour that he himself had declared was fleecing his people merely minutes ago. Its beyond rationality.

Thats the irony !! ....
mentality of B grade politicians is that either their way or noting .!! i read some where " False accusations/lies are the Best ways to hide your own incompetence n failures" same is valid for Imran khan n company ....

 

[Icarus]

I am really amazed after having read your comments Icarus. I never thought you were from that group.

I do hope you will give some thought to the notion that why Indus highway is not being upgraded or preferred which is a shorter route for CPEC, rather the N5 is being preferred. I think the real design in doing that is very much visible.

I was merely answering the question, I hope it will not be taken out of context.

As it has been pointed out by the government in the past as well, the progress on the western route is well ahead of schedule and not only will it be the first route to be completed (with the eastern route not expected to be operational in the next three years) but also the first route to be made operational.

CPEC western route to be completed next year - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
CPEC Western route to be built as dual carriageway
PM inaugurates CPEC’s western route in Zhob - The Express Tribune


"It may be added that the CPEC is a 15-year project between Pakistan and China spanning 2015-2030, while the Western route is among the Early Harvest Projects which have to be completed by 2018."- Second Article