Anti-CPEC elements to be dealt with an iron hand: FM Qureshi

Islamabad: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that any attempt to disrupt the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would be dealt with an iron hand.

Speaking at a news conference here, FM Qureshi said the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan including the ones in Dasu, Lahore, and Quetta were attempts to disrupt the progress made in the CPEC.

“The disrupters have their own priorities and we have our own. Despite their attempts, we will continue to progress. No one can stop the CPEC,” he said.

FM Qureshi said that the government’s spirits were high despite the attempts being made to target the CPEC.

On Afghanistan, he said Pakistan had made a formal request to be present in the UNSC’s session on Afghanistan, but unfortunately, it was not accepted.

The Foreign Minister said that Pakistan suffered the most due to conflict in Afghanistan after Afghanistan itself and it is the biggest stake-holder in facilitating the peace process in the neighbouring country.

FM Qureshi reiterated that there was no military solution to the Afghan crisis and only negotiated political settlement is the way forward, which has also been endorsed by the international community.

“Pakistan played an instrumental role in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table in 2019. Pakistan facilitated the US-Taliban peace agreement in February 2020 in Doha. Pakistan also helped to convene the intra-Afghan negotiations in September 2020,” he said. The FM said that Pakistan had invited the Afghan leaders to a conference in Islamabad to discuss the way forward. This conference was postponed on the request of President Ashraf Ghani, he added. “It may be mentioned that Pakistan did not invite the Taliban to this conference,” he further said.

FM Qureshi said that Pakistan had played its role in Afghan peace and reconciliation process and now, it was up to the Afghan leadership to further move the intra-Afghan dialogue process.

To a question, the Foreign Minister maintained that they had facilitated the Afghan civilians despite the coronavirus pandemic. “Pakistan has been a generous and hospitable host to the three million Afghan refugees for four decades despite its limited resources,” he said, adding if there was any new influx of Afghan refugees, Pakistan did not have the capacity to host them.