KARACHI: Pakistan has accused the United States of colluding with its longtime rival India to sabotage the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The rare direct charge came from Special Assistant to Prime Minister on CPEC Affairs Khalid Mansoor at a seminar organized by the prestigious Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi. Washington has long opposed the $64 billion project, calling it a “debt trap” for Pakistan, but this is the first time Islamabad has reacted this bluntly. New Delhi, an archrival of Beijing and Islamabad, has also opposed the project, which is part of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), viewing it as against its strategic interests in the region.
“From the point of view of the emerging geostrategic situation, one thing is clear: the United States supported by India is inimical to CPEC. It will not let it succeed. That’s where we have to take a position,” Mansoor said.–Agencies
