PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday accused the last Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government of harming the Sino-Pak relations and China- Pakistan Economic Corridor project and said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration was striving to repair and strengthen those ties.

Addressing a function held at the Chinese cultural centre China Window here to mark the 10th anniversary of the CPEC’s launch, Mr Fazl said the past governments of both Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz went all-out to strengthen the country’s relations with China, while the current government, too, was making every effort to make those ties even stronger.

He said that the Gwadar International Airport should have been built years ago but the previous PTI government blocked its completion.

“The PTI government pursued negative policies regarding mega projects and discouraged international investment. Under it, work on major projects came to a halt, while attempts were made to promote egg and calf production,” he said.

JUI-F chief addresses CPEC anniversary function

The JUI-F chief also said the West and India jointly hatched the creation of a “third force” in the country to thwart the CPEC project and that the country’s reins were handed over to it.

He said that the previous government’s agenda was to hinder Pakistan’s economic progress.

“The CPEC is not just a road project. It is also meant to boost Pakistan’s industrial production through the development of industrial zones and different sectors, including energy, telecom, technology and railway,” he said.

Mr Fazl said that the CPEC was the highway to Pakistan’s development, while Sino-Pak friendship was indisputable.

“In 2018, a force was imposed on this country through election rigging to impede the country’s progress, which pushed us to bring about a change at the helm of affairs. For that reason, we gathered all political forces at one platform,” he said.

The JUI-F chief said that it was not an easy job to fix the last government’s poor policies but still, the current government was striving to do it.

He said that PM Shehbaz Sharif’s administration was trying to kick-start the country’s journey to progress.

“We have to restore China’s confidence in Pakistan and the current government is making all-out efforts for it,” he said.

Mr Fazl said that China had launched a large number of development and investment projects in Pakistan to boost the local economy.

He said that special economic zones on the pattern of Rashaki, Nowshera, would be set up in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan districts.

The JUI-F leader said that over 1.2 million acres of land could be brought under cultivation through irrigation projects to boost agricultural productivity.

He said that the government had shown willingness in setting up a regional cargo airport in southern KP and the project’s successful execution would open new gateways of development for the region.

Mr Fazl underscored the need for stronger Sino-Pak relations and said those trying to sabotage those ties should be eliminated.

He welcomed the import of crude oil from Russia and said it was a good development.

The JUI-F chief later went to various galleries of the China Window and cut the CPEC anniversary cake. He appreciated the management for developing a centre of the Pakistan-China friendship in the provincial capital.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2023