Students of various educational institutions on Saturday held a protest demonstration and warned to march on Islamabad if federal government failed to consider original plan of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Holding banners and placards inscribed with demands, the participants were shouting slogans against alternative routes.
Talking to media persons the students' leader Tariq Afghan said that federal government was bent upon keeping Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deprived of its due rights and thus unrest among its people was increasing fast. Tariq Afghan said alone Punjab was not Pakistan because rest of the provinces were also parts of the country and the people had similar rights to avail. "We are not against Punjab and its people but we would also not surrender our own rights," he said and urged Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif to avoid creating polarization among the federating units because it was dangerous trend for solidarity of the country. He recalled the sacrifices rendered by people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the prolonged war on terror and said it was duty of the federal government at least to compensate the affected families. The CPEC, he said was national level project and it should not be kept limited to a particular area and people.
The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata), he warned would have the only option to march on Islamabad if their demands were not met at the earliest. Meanwhile, members of Olasi Tehreek also held a protest demonstration and demanded of government to avoid confrontational policies and give its share to KP in the CPEC otherwise the unrest would increase.