- Says world can’t afford another ‘cold war’
Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday said that Pakistan wants to play a catalyst role in bringing together the United States and China because ‘another cold war’ would not benefit anyone.
In an interview with the CGTN, the premier was questioned about Pakistan’s relations with China and the United States to which he replied that the world does not need “another Cold War”.
“The world should not go through a situation where it is divided into two camps, it does not benefit anyone. In fact, everyone suffers,” he said, adding that people benefit when there is cooperation between countries.
He went on to say that Pakistan wants to play the role that it had played in the 1970s, when it was “instrumental” in bringing the two countries together.
“The famous visit of Dr Henry Kissinger was organised by Pakistan,” he said, referring to the former US state secretary’s visit from Islamabad to Beijing in 1971.
“So we hope to play that role,” the premier said, noting that Pakistan has “good relations with the US and an iron-brother relationship with China”.
PM Imran expressed the hope that the world would not see another Cold War-like situation where Pakistan would have to choose sides.
Pakistan wants a peaceful solution to the long-standing Kashmir dispute and hopes for early resumption of the Pakistan-India dialogue.
Expressing deep concern on the worsening situation in Afghanistan, he urged the international community to pay attention to the plight of 40 million Afghan people.
The PM said both Pakistan and China have agreed that Afghanistan must be a top priority in the comity of nations.
He said that the Afghan people have been facing war like situation for four decades, adding that Pakistan sustained maximum losses in the war on terror.
Imran said that the PTI government not only saved the country from economic depression but also gave significant relief to the masses due to prudent economic policies.
He said “we are trying to introduce the Chinese model in Pakistan for poverty alleviation”.
He thanked the Chinese government for providing coronavirus vaccines as Pakistan succeeded in curtailing the spread of the virus by utilising the Chinese experience.
He said that the first phase of the CPEC consisted of connectivity and now “we are entering the second phase of the project”.
He said Pakistan’s 220 million people are his priority.
“The only way I will get my people out of poverty is if we have economic well-being, which comes with stability and peace. If you have conflicts, the first thing that gets affected is your economy and that’s the last thing we want.”
