ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq said, Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has always provided significant sacrifices for Pakistan but both regions were deprived of basic facilities while now the citizens started thinking for being deprived of benefits of mega project, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Sirajul Haq was addressing a press conference after meeting Jirga led by JI AJK Ameer Abdul Rasheed Turrabi and JI GB Ameer Maulana Abdul Sami.
The JI Ameer said he personally observed that both regions were being deprived cent per cent from CPEC benefits after visiting Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), I personally observed, these two places are being kept away from China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route. Moreover, reservations of GB natives were not removed so far regarding the mega economic project, he added.
He demanded to include AJK and GB in CPEC route to bring prosperity and development in the regions. Siraj said members of Public Action Committee representing GB citizens were arrested just after a Senate committee returned to Islamabad after briefing.
While criticising the government, Sirajul Haq said that wrong policies pushed Balochistan into insurgency while operation was still underway in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). He added uncertain situation occurred in Karachi while continued present in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province due to rulers’ ineligibility. He urged authorities to envisage positive position to benefit people of the regions in order to avoid spreading anarchy.
He said the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) have capacity of power generation up to 41,000 megawatt and 22,000 MW respectively. He demanded for removal of different taxes besides organisation of Local Government (LG) elections for making both regions self-sufficient instead of releasing different financial packages.
Enemies of Pakistan kept close eye on the mega economic project and wanted to use the regions for its conspiracies which needed to be foiled at earliest, Siraj warned.
While answering a question Sirajul Haq said, only federal government can solve issues of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister should become the representative of people rather than the Islamabad’s employee.
He demanded authorities to immediately complete Astoor-Muzaffarabad road to connect both regions. Moreover he demanded to complete Gazar-Shindoor-Chitral road to link with Tajikistan via Wakhan corridor. He added to construct an international airport in Gilgit and three economic zones in GB region.
While answering a question, Sirajul Haq said that the nation should put aside political differences over Kashmir issue for supporting independence movement of Kashmiris.