–FM says CPEC not in danger, Pakistan and China have signed the agreement
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday said India wanted to isolate Pakistan on the international level and is making every effort to undermine the country in the world fora.
The foreign minister’s statement came a day after Pakistan’s protest to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for making India a part of its review group monitoring Pakistan’s progress on its 27-point action plan.
In a letter written to its president Marshall Billingslea, Finance Minister Asad Umar had expressed concern over the involvement of India, saying it would undermine the peer evaluation process in the backdrop of New Delhi’s hostility towards Pakistan.
Pakistan is in the crosshairs of the Paris-based global body over its failure to take counter-measures against money laundering and terror financing despite repeated warnings.
Speaking in a gathering on Sunday, the foreign minister said India has made a habit of blaming Islamabad without any evidence whenever it faces any untoward situation. But it will survive India’s hostile intentions and will remain until the end of the world, he added.
He said that India and Bangladesh are holding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) hostage.
He said the spirits of people are exactly like 1965 and the change has started coming. “Intentions do matter but the reward is given by Allah. Pakistan will remain until the end of the world,” he said.
He said the Imran Khan-led government faced many challenges when it came to power: Pakistan was on the brink of bankruptcy and the FATF had put it in grey-list.
In addition, the so-called war on terror in Afghanistan destabalised the region, he said, adding peace in the neighbouring country would benefit the entire region.
He also said that terrorists used militant hideouts in Afghanistan to launch attacks in Pakistan, but Afghanistan always blamed Pakistan for its problems.
Though the tough time is not over yet, China, like in past, is standing by Pakistan in the trying times, the minister concluded.
Pakistan has signed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agreement with China, adding that the contract has gone onto the next phase. He said the CPEC project was in no danger.
