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Pakistan Senate questions legal status of CPEC Authority

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 26 Oct 2020

#CPEC   #Pakistan   #PIDA   #Senate  

Pakistan Senate questions legal status of CPEC Authority

Image: Senate of Pakistan Twitter page

Islamabad: The Pakistani Senate on Friday questioned the legality of the  China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority Ordinance, media reports said.

“Under which provision of the law the CPEC Authority is operating,” PPP leader and former chairman of the Senate Senator Raza Rabbani asked while speaking on a call-attention notice as quoted by Dawn News.

He pointed out that the ordinance promulgated last year had been extended by the National Assembly through a resolution in January for 120 days. Therefore, the extended life of the ordinance came to a close in June.

Through the ordinance promulgated by the president on Oct 8, 2019 a 10-member CPEC Authority had been established with the task of expediting projects related to the multi-billion-dollar road and rail networks that link Chinese territories to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan, reports Dawn News.

Senator Rabbani said the CPEC Authority had its own funds and bank accounts and wondered how these were being operated to pay salaries to employees and make other payments.

The Senator also raised his concern over the promulgation of Pakistan Island Development Authority (Pida) Ordinance.