UPPER DIR: Parliamentary leader of Jamaat-i-Islami in the National Assembly, Sahibzada Tariqullah, has asked the federal government to make the national highway passing through the Malakand division part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as it could be used as an alternative route to the landslide-prone Karakoram Highway.

Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating a road project in Dir on Tuesday, he said that inclusion of N-45, passing through Nowshera, Dir and Chitral, would not only strengthen the CPEC by providing a second passage, but also ensure access to the Central Asian Republics (CARs).

Mr Tariquilah said that this new route, if approved, could be an alternative both to the KKH and access to CARs via Afghanistan. This route is also opening up several passages to Afghanistan in Dir, Bajaur and Chitral, he added.

The JI leader claimed that China also understood the importance of this route and urged the federal government to make serious efforts to incorporate it into CPEC. He said that this highway (N-45) was safe and secure for CPEC and could provide round-the-clock all-weather route.

He pointed out that KKH, the approved CPEC route, was closed to traffic twice or thrice a year due to heavy snowfall and recurring landslides. Tens of billions are already being spent on the widening of N-45, also known as Nowshera-DirChitral highway. This includes the Lowari Tunnel connecting Chitral with the rest of the country.

Mr Tariqullah said that former president Pervez Musharraf had also declared the NowsheraDir-Chitral route a short and safe access to CARs. This highway, he added, could boost Pakistan`s economic ties with CARs.

He pointed out that N-45`s length from Nowshera to Gilgit was 751 kilometers, which was shorter than KKH. He said that this route could be connected to KKH via Shandur Pass.

The MNA said that people of the backward districts in the region would benefit if N-45 was included in CPEC.