Sir: Changing the proposed route of the national highway connecting Gwadar to Kashgar that passes through Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to Punjab could seriously affect our national integrity. The Punjab and especially Lahore based federal cabinet see the prosperity of Pakistan in the prosperity of Punjab. They do not believe in uniform development of the whole country. Such discrimination has already led to the colossal disparity between developed and backward regions of the country. The recent proposed change in the route from Gwadar to Kashgar reflects the discriminatory policies pursued by the federal government. Such biased decisions will exacerbate the insurgent movement in the region. In order to give favour to the already miserable people of Balochistan and KP, the federal government should consider the earlier proposed route, i.e. from Gwadwar to Kashgar via Zhob and Peshawar. Though it is established now that the federal government does not care about the people of these underdeveloped provinces and areas, the silence of the provincial government is unfathomable. I request the incumbent governments of both Balochistan and KP to take up this issue with the federal government on a serious footing. Moreover, the interest of Pakistan should also be determined by people of all provinces and not only by Punjab. NAJEEB KAKAR Zhob