(Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.)
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia would not be made part of the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework as had been perceived earlier and the kingdom’s proposed investments would be limited to constructing U-turns along the corridor.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtiar said there was no need to bring another country under the framework of the CPEC since Saudi Arabia alone would suffice in constructing all the needed U-turns.
“We do realise that the sheer number of U-turns needed along the corridor would be significantly high, but such is the volume of Saudi investment that the kingdom alone would build all of the U-turns,” Fawad Chaudhry boasted, clarifying that the U-turns would fall under a bilateral agreement.
The Informational Minister further revealed that in addition to the U-turns there could be many offshoots of the project. However, he was quick to clarify that these U-turns should not be mistaken for loans.
“These are permanent Saudi investments in Pakistan, with Riyadh fully aware of their utility and frequency of use – especially over the next five years,” Chaudry said.
