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LAHORE - A senior lawyer on Monday approached the country’s top court seeking directives for the government to stop sale of land on proprietary rights to the Chinese citizens in connection with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Watan Party’s head Barrister Zafarullah Khan filed the petition before the Supreme Court, saying that Chinese citizens had been given certain relaxations in the name of CPEC and they were acquiring land on lease which was against the sovereignty of the state.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a collection of infrastructure projects which started in 2013 and still is under construction throughout the country.

Barrister Khan said that Chinese people had no problem in getting visas and visiting Pakistan but the Pakistani businessmen had been facing huge problems in getting Chinese visas and going there for business. They had objected to the strict visa policy for them as compared to the Chinese.

He said the Chinese had been enjoying many other privileges as recreational parks and residential colonies were being established for them in Pakistan. The lawyer said that people of the country had related the CPEC project to the East India Company that led to British occupation in the sub-continent.

He questioned the agreement between both Pakistan and China about the project, stating that it had many flaws. Khan said it was one-sided contract. He said provision of such relaxation to the Chinese under the CPEC had compromised the country’s sovereignty.

He prayed to the court to issue directives for the government to review the terms and conditions of the CPEC accord and stop the Chinese from doing direct investment in the country.