ISLAMABAD: Senior politician Mushahid Hussain has said that Pakistan was going in the direction of crisis as the country was facing domestic instability along with unsustainable foreign policy.
“The foreign policy is somewhat in crisis as we have gotten into fights with three of our neighbours in the last five years. China is also not happy with the terrorism in the country and their trust has taken a hit,” he said during media talk.
Pakistan has gotten into fights with Iran and Afghanistan in recent times, he added. Recalling his earlier statement regarding a “regional reset”, Mushahid Hussain said that he called for better relations with the neighbours.
According to the senior politician, Pakistan will need to improve its economy along with its matters related to foreign policy.
On China-Pakistan relations, he said that as many as 13 Chinese nationals have been killed in six attacks during the last five years. The government failed in keeping its promise to provide foolproof security to Chinese nationals, he added.
Emphasising for formulation of a system to ensure security and peace in the country, he said that attacks on Chinese nationals posed serious questions regarding China’s trust in Pakistan.
Mushahid Hussain said that the country was in a war-like condition on the security, economy and political fronts despite having significant geopolitical importance in the region.
On the domestic political front, he said that infighting continued post-general election held on February 8 this year. The senior politician also mentioned the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) judges’ letter, saying that the letter further aggravated instability in the country.
Meanwhile, he blamed the ruling elite for the ills that Pakistan was facing. He urged the government to provide relief to the masses after getting elected to power instead of “just working for families”.
Earlier last month, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed on Wednesday requested the upper house play its role in opening borders with neighboring countries, especially Afghanistan and Iran, for trade.
Speaking on the point of order in the upper house, the senator said that a delegation from Afghanistan has arrived in Pakistan for the request to open up the border for trade.
He said, “The trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan is around 5 billion US dollars, but due to the closure of borders, entire business activity is closed, due to which Afghan traders are facing difficulty.”
He said, “Three landlocked countries, including Afghanistan, and Tajikistan need land opening opportunities through Gawadar, but unfortunately, Pakistan’s relations with its neighboring countries are not satisfactory.”
He said, “Pakistan has been a host country for all its neighboring countries for 40 years, and the same role must continue in the future for prosperity and peace in the region.”
He requested the chairman and deputy chairman of the senate to play their roles to facilitate a meeting of Afghan traders and to take up the issue at the highest level for the opening up of borders. –Agencies
