PR No. 134 Decisions Taken In The All Parties Conference Held Under The Chairmanship Of The Prime Minister On 15th January 2016 Islamabad

A meeting of leading political parties of KP and Balochistan Provinces was held under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on 15th January 2016 to share information with, and address the reservations of political parties and Government of KP regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The following decisions were taken in the meeting with broad consensus:

1. The location of industrial parks will be decided in consultation with the the provinces; provision of allied facilities and infrastructure required for these industrial parks will be the responsibility of the Federal and Provincial Governments according to their respective roles;

2. Working on the principle of “One Corridor, Multiple Passages”, the Western Alignment for the CPEC will be constructed on priority, with a timeline of 2 years and 6 months, i.e. 15th July 2018. If required, the existing allocation for CFY for this alignment, i.e. Rs. 40.00 billion, will be enhanced appropriately;

3. The Western Alignment for CPEC will be 4-Lane Expressway in the first phase, but with a provision for subsequent conversion into 6-Lane limited access Motorway, for which early finalization of land acquisition will be the responsibility of Government of KP. Funds for the land acquisition will however, be provided by the Federal Government;

4. The following high-powered committee, to be headed by the Prime Minister, was constituted for periodical consultation with the provinces on matters related to the CPEC:

Prime Minister Chairperson

Chairman, Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Member

Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Reform Member

Federal Minister for Water & Power Member

Federal Minister for Railways Member

Federal Minister for Communications Member

Chief Minister, Punjab Member

Chief Minister, Sindh Member

Chief Minister, Balochistan Member

Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Member

Chief Minister, Gilgit-Baltistan Member

5. A cell will be created in the Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform for coordination and information sharing with the provinces; and,

6. All participants reaffirmed their complete support to the CPEC and agreed that the new institutional framework will be able to better accommodate the regional concerns in future.