Opposition rejects CPEC body formation through ordinance – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The main opposition parties, the Muslim League of Pakistan-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Popular Party of Pakistan (PPP), have rejected the government's act of establishing the CPEC Authority through a presidential ordinance and qualified it of "illegal" movement. violation of the recommendations of the corresponding parliamentary commission.

PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal during a press conference after attending a meeting of the opposition Rahbar Committee on Tuesday said that the creation of the CPEC Authority through a presidential ordinance was a "legislation of back door "and that his party would not accept the movement.

Condemning the government's act of establishing authority through a presidential ordinance, he said that "rulers have not expressed their confidence in civil institutions."

"President Dr. Arif Alvi has missed the [related] parliamentary committee and parliament when signing the controversial ordinance, ”he claimed.

He says the measure violates the recommendations of the parliamentary committee

PPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar said it seemed that the government wanted to "deliver the CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] project to the military. "

"We do not want the militarization of civil society," said the unconditional PPP, adding that his party would address the issue in parliament.

Prior to the departure of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China on Monday, President Alvi had enacted two ordinances to establish the CPEC Authority and grant tax concessions to the port of Gwadar and its free zone.

The government enacted the “Ordinance of the CPEC Authority 2019” and “The Ordinance of Tax Laws (Amendment) 2019” to oversee and implement the ambitious project of the economic corridor and grant exemptions from income taxes, sales taxes and tariffs Customs at the port of Gwadar. and its free zone.

According to reports, the authority has been given extensive powers to request any information related to the activities of CPEC, and in case of not providing the information, it will have the power to impose sanctions on those who challenge their orders.

Earlier, in a statement, Ahsan Iqbal said the PML-N would dispute strongly and protest against this law in parliament and other relevant forums.

He noted that the National Assembly Committee on CPEC had unanimously opposed and rejected the formation of that body. "To raze parliament and implement this authority through an ordinance" was an "intentional effort to make this gigantic national project controversial," he said.

Ahsan Iqbal, who had worked as a planning and development minister in the previous PML-N government, said he had personally sent a message directly to the president that the creation of this body would be an illegal act and therefore should not sign under any circumstances However, said the PML leader, the president ignored the advice of the main national institution: parliament.

"The creation of this authority is a clear message to undermine confidence in civil institutions," Iqbal said, adding that this $ 28.5 billion investment did not come through any "authority" but was brought by a political government. civilian through democracy. and constitutional institutions.

“No such agencies are needed to complete and operate CPEC. Money and vision are needed, and the current regime lacks both. "

The former planning minister said that the formation of this authority would create problems and complications in collaboration between the ministries and departments. This would create bureaucratic obstacles and constraints that would hamper and stop CPEC.

Mr. Iqbal said that the NA committee had recommended that the issue of the formation of this authority be presented to the parliament, where it would be discussed thoroughly.

The committee, he added, had also advised the government not to go ahead with the creation of that body in any way other than an act of parliament (through legislation).

He claimed that Pakistan's Tehreek-i-Insaf government did not "believe in parliament and wants to hide everything from the people, which is why it closed the parliament."

Posted on Dawn, October 9, 2019