Daily Times

Pakistan on Thursday rubbished controversial remarks by a US official about China’s loans under CPEC, asserting that Islamabad is proud of its friendship with Beijing which has always come to assistance whenever needed.

“China has always come to Pakistan’s assistance whenever needed. Pakistani nation is proud of its friendship with China,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a weekly press briefing when asked about the US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet’s recent statement regarding Pakistan-China relations

The spokesperson said Pakistan being a sovereign state exercises the right to choose its economic partners from around the globe on mutually beneficially basis. “Pakistan considers China as an all-weather strategic cooperative partner,” she reiterated. “China has been a consistent, generous and steadfast friend that has stood by Pakistan for the last several decades,” she added.

It is worth mentioning here that US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet had said last week during visit to Islamabad that United States was concerned about debt owed to China by Pakistan and other countries. He had also said that Washington was talking to Islamabad about the “perils” of a closer relationship with Beijing, but would not ask Pakistan to choose between the United States and China.

While commenting on the recent violence in the West Bank where 11 Palestinians people have been martyred by Israeli forces, the spokesperson said Pakistan condemns all acts that lead to the killing of innocent civilians including in occupied Palestinian territories. She said Pakistan’s position on Palestine is consistent. “We support a comprehensive approach for resolution of Palestinian issue,” she added.

The spokesperson said Pakistan remains concerned over the ongoing human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. She said Pakistan will continue to raise its voice against grave human rights violations in the occupied territory. “We will also continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions,” she added.

About Russia-Ukraine conflict, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan believes that peace and dialogue are important in resolution of this conflict as well. On Afghanistan, the spokesperson said Islamabad and Kabul have been discussing all aspects of cooperation to confront the terrorism that emanates from Kabul. The spokesperson said Pakistan will host a one day conference on ‘Women in Islam: Understanding the Rights and Identity of Women in the Islamic World’ on the 8th of next month at the UN headquarters on the sidelines of the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.