-End on assurance of Khawaja Asif for all issues to be resolved within one week
-Scuffles at Parliament Gate between protestors and Police
ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government and the opposition parties have ended their protest outside the Parliament against change in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and loadshedding in KPK after Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif ensured to meet their demands within one week.
KP Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak held talks with Khawaja Asif and his team. Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Surajul Haq, PTI s Shibli Faraz, Qaumi Watan Party s (QWP) Sikandar Sherpao and Awami National Party s (ANP) Ilyas Bilour were included in the negotiations party from protesters side.
Later Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif while talking to newsmen along with KPK Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Amir Jamat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq outside the Parliament House said that the issues of KP would be solved within one week. He vowed to find a long-standing solution to the provincial problems.
He said that KPK government will hold a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar next week in Islamabad to resolve electricity, water and other issues.
He made it clear that Pak-China economic corridor will pass through its original route in KPK which will be beneficial for the people of that area.
He said that steps are being taken to find a durable solution of all the problems of provincial government. He said PM Nawaz Sharif convened a meeting on Pak-China economic corridor tomorrow.
KPK Chief Minister Mr. Pervez Khattak said that talks with Federal government on issues confronting to KPK have been successful. He said he will meet Chairman WAPDA on Friday to resolve the water issue.
Khattak said that the provincial government would hold meeting with the WAPDA authorities after two days. The reservations shown by the province have been cleared and notification would soon be issued, he added.
Amir Jammat-e-Islami Siraj ul Haq while appreciating the negotiation process with Federal Government said that all political forces of KPK under the chairmanship of Pervez Khattak have conveyed their reservations to the Federal Government. He expressed the hope that load-shedding issue in KPK will be resolved before the start of Ramadan.
Sirajul Haq said that several parties participated in the protest led by the KP CM. Both the federation and the KP government have vowed to pay the pending payments.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members entered into a strife with the police outside the Parliament ahead of their sit-in along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government and opposition parties for provincial rights.
PTI MPAs and ministers from KPK gathered outside the Parliament House and staged sit-in to protest what they called unfair distribution of power by federal government.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak, Speaker KPK assembly Asad Qaisar, MNA Dr. Arif Alvi and others were leading a large number of party lawmakers who marched from PTI Islamabad office to the Parliament building.
However, the protestors were stopped at the main gate of the Parliament House where the mob attempted to cross security barriers, prompting brief scuffles between riot police and PTI lawmakers.
Addressing the protest sit-in, Pervez Khattak said PTI MPAs and ministers were protesting against change in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and loadshedding in KPK.
“All political parties, except the PML-N, are united for rights of people of KPK,” he said, claiming that federal government was selling inexpensive electricity at higher rates to KPK.
He vowed to continue the protest till acceptance of demands. The protest was also joined by lawmakers of Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami National Party (ANP).
INP
