ISLAMABAD: Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal alleged that a certain political party has been disseminating false information regarding Pakistan-China relations recently. He asserted that a deliberate effort to undermine the longstanding strong bond between the two countries was underway through a smear campaign.
Addressing a press conference at the PMLN central secretariat in Model Town, Ahsan firmly stated that neither Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nor any other political party would be permitted to spread misinformation against the state’s diplomatic relations and policies.
“Our politics may have ups and downs, but the interests and future of the state should be shared,” he said, adding that the political party was endangering the state to save its own politics and engaging in anti-nationalist actions.
“The political party starts trolling the judiciary to influence arbitrary decisions, and the same is done against the army and its opponents,” Ahsan alleged, adding that this style of politics was undemocratic and could not benefit the party.
“While differences exist between the government and the opposition, state institutions should not be targeted.” “Weakening these institutions jeopardizes the stability of the state,” he added, regretting that “trolling is being used to pressure critics and subject them to harassment.”
The minister noted that for the first time, Pakistan and China were advancing their relations in the space sector. “China’s participation will elevate the space program to new heights. China has expressed readiness to take CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) to an upgraded level,” he added.
He said that a state’s policy is not determined by random articles. “Articles are written and published worldwide, but no country or state formulates policy based on them. Policy decisions are made through negotiations between governments,” he added. “China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have trusted Pakistan in recent times.”
The federal minister said, “Only a fool would claim that relations are deteriorating. Relations with China have improved after recent engagements.” Ahsan Iqbal quoted the Chinese president as saying that “they (China) want to deepen strategic relations.”
