All neighbouring countries should have access to Gwadar, Chabahar ports: Achakzai

Pakhtunkh-wa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) President Mahmood Khan Achakzai has said that Gwadar, Chabahar and Bandar Abbas ports should be opened for all neighbouring countries for trade and economic uplift of the entire region. "Gwadar and Chabahar ports should not be used for hostile motives but for trade and economic activities of the regional countries," senior parliamentarian Mahmood Khan Achakzai said in an exclusive chat with Business Recorder on Thursday.
He said that Pakistan should offer Iran and Afghanistan to become part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Gwadar port should be used for trade with other countries. About Western route of CPEC, Achakzai said that political parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and others should avoid making any controversial statement and sit together and prepare a common draft on Western route. "I am ready to sign such a draft without any objection. We will share this draft with the government for implementation and the government committed during an All-Party Conference (APC) to give priority to Western route", he said.
About the announcement of PTI Chairman Imran Khan to lockdown Capital on November 2, Mahmood Khan Achakzai said that protest is the constitutional right of every party but there are some limitations to freedom of demonstration. "We will not allow the mistakes of 2014. The PTI must protest outside the red zone of the Capital," he said. Answering a question on the Panama leaks, he said corruption exists in our society and in every institution in the country. It has become a disease in our society and every citizen wants to get rid of it.
PkMAP President proposed to hold a roundtable conference and invite all institutions including military, judiciary, traders, Parliamentarians and other stakeholders to establish a joint and independently powerful authority for accountability. The joint authority should have powers to conduct investigation and to collect evidence from any institution for accountability, he added.
Achakzai said that supremacy of the Constitution is very necessary to run the affairs of the country and Parliament should be made the origin of all policies. Foreign policy of the country should be formulated after a thorough discussion in Parliament, he said. PkMAP President said in response to another question that Afghanistan could become Pakistan's strategic ally "if we respect its sovereignty". He said that Afghanistan wants peace and we should cooperate with it for stability and prosperity of the region. "A peaceful Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan," he said. Achakzai said "we would allow no interference from another country in the affairs of Pakistan nor will we interfere in any other country's affairs".
"If we make a mistake in our relations with a neighbouring country then this region may become a battle field and we our struggle of 70 years would go to waste. Wars began in Afghanistan now the process of peace should start from Afghanistan," he said.