Islamabad, June 21: Amid the open political squabbling between the ruling PML-N and PPP, a senior Chinese official on Friday, in a veiled warning, asked the Pakistani political leadership to shun differences.
“In a turbulent world of rising uncertainties, stability within the country is essential for development. Faced with complex internal and external challenges, Pakistan is navigating carefully through turbulent rivers,” Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) Liu Jianchao said in Islamabad.
Liu made the remarks as he co-chaired — along with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar — the third meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) of the Political Parties on the CPEC.
Leaders belonging to all major political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), were present during the event.
PTI’s Barrister Ali Zafar and Raoof Hasan, PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s Emir Fazlur Rehman, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and other top leaders were in attendance.
China is investing billions of dollars in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
However, works on the flagship project have been hindered in recent years due to the security situation, with China informing the Pakistani side of its reservations following the deaths of Chinese engineers in terror-related incidents.
The Chinese official said that there can be sustainable development only when all political parties in a country join hands to ensure political and social stability.
The Chinese official also warned against the “iron clad friendship” between the two nations being eroded by Western influence via social media.
“In particular, there’s a rising risk of Western social media which has a huge impact on the younger generation, eroding the foundation of the China-Pakistan friendship,” Liu said.
He said the Chinese government was ready to promote exchanges between the youth, media, think tanks, academics, and local governments, and help the public understand the friendship better.
