Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Asad Qaiser, Senior Minister, Sikandar Khan Sherpao, ANP parliamentary leader, Sardar Hussain Babak, JI MPA Saeed Gul, Muhammad Ali, KP Olasi Tehreek Chairman, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, Awami Worker Party, Fanoos Gujr, leaders of different political parties, members of civil society, and others also attended the convention.
The KP Chief Minister said the incumbent PML(N)-led federal government only wants to build a road and not an economic corridor with all ancillary facilities. "If just a road is what we get in the CPEC then they can do it for themselves; we won't let it pass through here," he said. Without naming anyone, he said that "big brother eats up everything and does not give anything to others." The elder brother will have to mend his ways and change his philosophy. Centre eats up everything while provinces are ignored," the Chief Minister said.
He said that gas, LNG, optic fibre and electricity projects were not included in the western route that comprises Hazara, Gilgit and Balochistan areas, because these projects are part of the eastern route of the CPEC, which passes through Punjab. He said the provincial government will be able to construct DI Khan motorway from its own resources. The Chief Minister vowed that provincial government will continue its struggle to get province's due share in projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He warned that if KP does not get its share, other provinces, too, will also deprive face a similar fate insofar as CPEC is concerned. He stressed the need of unified efforts of among all parliamentary parties for provision of due shares to smaller provinces.
He said the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had promised that western route would get a priority at an All-Party Conference (APC) in Islamabad, last year. He said no construction work was started in Haripur to DI Khan sections of the CPEC, which is a glaring example of 'Punjab centric' policies of the PML-N government.
Khattak said that his government supports the western route as it is 600KM shorter and there are more underdeveloped areas in that section. KP Chief Minister said the federal government was not giving KPK its due share in other developmental schemes, like annual net-hydel profit (NHP) arrears, allocated quota of electricity. Regarding the recent announced industrial policy 2016, and other development initiatives in KP, he said the province will bear a Rs 6 to Rs 7 billion cost per annum, in the head of provision of incentive to industries. He said his government is committed to addressing the issue of unemployment. Other speakers, at the convention, asked the federal government to shun 'Punjab centric' policies, and give due share to smaller provinces.