India may be involved in Monday’s targetted killing of a Chinese national in Karachi, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said, referring to the anti-CPEC agenda of Pakistan’s eastside neighbour.
During an interview with a British media outlet, Iqbal cited Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s admittance of terrorist networks set up by India in order to “sabotage” the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Talking about how the CPEC has enhanced Pakistan’s economy, the minister noted that it “has brought new momentum” and “created new job opportunities”.
“It has revived our cement [and] construction industry. So CPEC has been really a game-changer by bringing in new opportunities, optimism, and attracting world investors towards Pakistan,” he added.
Further, Iqbal stressed that Pakistan and the United States, together, can help bring peace in Afghanistan.
Islamabad does not want dollars but rather looks forward to the US’ acknowledgement of sacrifices it has made in the war against terror, he added.
‘Aware of conspirators’
Later, while speaking to reporters in Washington in a televised news conference, Iqbal said Pakistan is keeping an eye on the forces that are trying to destabilise it.
“We are not ignoring our defence, we are aware of the conspirators against Pakistan. […] We will not let efforts to weaken Pakistan internally be successful.”
The minister went on underscore that South Asia is, at present, the centre of “poverty, sickness, and illiteracy”, which is why the region’s race should be targetted towards development rather than on wars.
CPEC is a long-term plan and not just a literal corridor between Pakistan and China, Iqbal noted, saying that the project’s goal is to strengthen South Asia.
CPEC “will be beneficial to India as well”, he said, in light of how the Indian government already faces criticism for being anti-CPEC.
