-Offers to play positive role between US, China | Calls for unfreezing of Afghan assets
By Makhdoom
Shehryar Babar
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the world cannot afford to go back into another “era of Cold War or bloc politics”.
He made the remarks in an interview with Newsweek’s senior foreign policy writer Tom O’Connor published on Monday.
In it, he touched on Pakistan’s political landscape and Islamabad’s relations with friendly countries, including China and the United States.
Talking about heightened friction between the US and China, the premier said: “While the Pakistan-China relationship is very special, Pakistan and the US have also maintained a long-standing historic bilateral relationship which covers all issues of mutual interest.”
PM Shehbaz said that constructive engagement with all countries could promote peace and security as well as development and connectivity in the region.
“We look forward to remaining engaged with the international community for peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said, adding that conflict anywhere in the world had global consequences, especially for developing countries.
“The world can ill-afford [a] descent into another era of Cold War or bloc politics. I believe polarisation would have serious consequences for the global economy afflicted by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis. Developing countries, like Pakistan, are already suffering from external shocks to their socioeconomic well-being, and do not desire aggravation of these challenges induced by [a] major power rivalry,” the prime minister said.
He went on to say that “cooperation, not confrontation, should be the main driver of international relations”.
Asked whether Pakistan could play a role in de-escalating tensions between the two countries, the premier said Pakistan’s foreign policy was one of “friendliness and goodwill towards all the nations of the world”.
“If China and the US so desire, Pakistan would be happy to play a positive role to bridge their differences, as we had done in the past.”
Talking about Afghanistan, PM Shehbaz said that the global community initial concerns, including avoiding a protracted conflict, ensuring safe evacuations, regulating the flow of migrants, and ensuring humanitarian assistance, were handled in a “relatively satisfactory manner”.
He urged the international community to remain engaged with the Afghan government, to assist it in social and economic areas and to unfreeze the country’s financial assets.
“We will continue to impress upon the interim Afghan government the importance of taking demonstrable actions on its commitments including those relating to inclusivity, respect for human rights of all Afghans, including girls’ education, and effective counter-terrorism action,” he said.
