CPEC to bring imminent change in the region: Foreign Minister

SIALKOT: Opponents of former premier Nawaz Sharif have managed to get him ousted from power, but they will never be able to deprive him of the credit for the development projects carried out during his tenure, said Foreign Affairs Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif while addressing a workers’ convention in the city later Saturday night.

Kh Asif, a PML-N lawmaker from Sialkot, also talked about the political party’s reputation, saying: “The opposition believes they could stain our image by dragging us into NAB (National Accountability Bureau).” The Sharifs continue to winning approval of more and more people, the foreign minister noted.

“Nawaz Sharif gains popularity while an ex-dictator is dishonoured,” he commented, adding that criticising courts’ rulings is “our right” and that history is witness to who really “broke the Constitution”. Asif said: “Elections are just around the corner, so let’s see who wins this game!”

Sabah dds: Talking to official media in Sialkot on Sunday, Kh Asif said Pakistan is a peace-loving country and it wants cordial relations with all neighbouring countries. He said efforts were being made to develop strong relations with Afghanistan and Iran as well as Russia.

To another question, he said Pakistan and Russia were enjoying cordial relations and Moscow was extending cooperation to Pakistan in different fields.

The minister said Pakistan wants a peaceful and stable Afghanistan as it is in the best interest of Pakistan. He said Pakistan is making hectic efforts to eliminate menace of terrorism from the country and there are no safe havens for terrorists here. He said no country in the world had done more than Pakistan to counter terrorism and no country had suffered more than Pakistan. The foreign minister said the mega China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would play an instrumental role in bringing change and ushering in economic stability and prosperity in the region.