Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to leave for China today. He is expected to meet the Chinese President, senior political leadership and the business community. In Pakistan, there are speculations with regard to the premier’s visit to China. Some officials and analysts believe that PM Khan is likely to focus on the economy and may sign new projects with China.
However, there is a segment of society that believes the premier’s decision to visit china ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s tour of Nepal and India political. The premier is said to have a focus on Kashmir and urge China to play an active role.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will pay an official visit to China from tomorrow (Monday) to discuss issues of regional and bilateral significance with Chinese leadership. pic.twitter.com/4tVlsgS88Y
— Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (@MoIB_Official) October 6, 2019
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, details of PM Khan’s visit to China have been finalized. He will return to Pakistan on Thursday. He has been scheduled to attend several meetings during his stay in China.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed, Minister for Planning Khusro Bakhtiar and Finance Adviser Hafeez Sheikh will be accompanying the premier on the visit.
In his election campaign, Mr. Modi used words like ‘This is just a trailer. The movie is about to start’ and ‘I went into Pakistan and taught them a lesson’.
According to local media reports, Pakistani delegation will discuss the CPEC, Karachi-Peshawar ML-1 railway track and other affairs with Chinese officials. The bilateral meetings will also finalize matters relating to the mutual corporation committee.
Pakistan-China relations have gone from strength to strength & CPEC is a reflection of our mutual commitment to this enduring relationship.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 1, 2019
Pakistan’s leading English language newspaper The News reported that Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided “to offer handing over Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) to China through government to government deal and exploring options to finance multi-billion dollars railways Mainline (ML-1) during his upcoming visit of Beijing”.
In his upcoming scheduled visit to China from October 07, 2019, the prime minister has decided to take up five issues for enhancing economic cooperation under CPEC. Pakistan will offer China to get PSM, finalize deal on the modernization of ML-1, financing of Bunji hydropower project, agriculture and social sectors-related projects in and outside the ambit of CPEC, the newspaper said.
PM Imran Khan has decided to offer handing over Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) to China through government to government deal and exploring options to finance multi-billion dollars railways Mainline (ML-1) during his upcoming visit of Beijing https://t.co/8sq4MOyHW4
— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) October 6, 2019
The prime minister will address China-Pakistan Business Forum in Beijing on the subject of “Economic and Trade Exchange and Cooperation”, according to Chinese media outlets.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Reforms Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar on Sunday said Pakistan would engage China at the highest level for talks on several big projects in the fields of hydropower, oil refinery, and steel mills.
Read more: Chinese Army reaffirmed China’s support to Pakistan on Kashmir issue
Mr. Bakhtyar said Pakistan would start formal negotiations on additional projects, including a major overland LNG terminal, 7,000-megawatt Bunji hydropower project, Pakistan Steel Mills, oil refineries as well as joint ventures in businesses and science and technology, for agreements.
“All the existing projects under the CPEC portfolio have been streamlined and there is no slowdown anywhere,” the minister said in a press conference.
Focus on Kashmir?
As Indian media is also putting special attention on the premier’s visit, there are some reports which claim that the PM Khan wanted to take into confidence the Chinese President before later leaves for India. As a matter of fact, there is a curfew in India-occupied Kashmir for more than 60 days now. There has been international outcry but Indian armed forces are committing war crimes in the valley of Kashmir.
Prime Minister Imran Khan recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and exclusively focused on exposing atrocities being committed by the Indian army in the IoK. PM Khan also told the world that “(Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi said there were terrorist attacks from Pakistan. We said well we have attacks in Balochistan from your end.
Kashmir is on the agenda as Prime Minister Imran Khan departs for his official visit to China today on Sunday.
— Idn (@Abbas2074) October 7, 2019
Unfortunately, we didn’t make any headway. Our Foreign Minister was at the UNGA but they canceled the meeting. Meanwhile, a 20-year-old Kashmiri boy blew himself up at the Indian convoy. And India blamed us”.
Then PM Khan elaborated what he did subsequently: “I spoke to the Indian public on television. I said if you give us any iota of proof, we will immediately take action because we have clamped down on these groups. They bombed us (instead), and we retaliated”.
Furthermore, Prime Minister said that “In his election campaign, Mr. Modi used words like ‘This is just a trailer. The movie is about to start’ and ‘I went into Pakistan and taught them a lesson’.”
While coming to RSS and PM Modi’s life-time membership, the premier went on saying: “Now I must explain what RSS is. Modi is a life member (of RSS). It is an organization inspired by Hitler and Mussolini. They believe in racial purity and superiority. They believe they are an Aryan race.
Read more: India Demands China-Pakistan to end all CPEC Activities in Azad Kashmir
They believe in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims. They believe a golden age of Hindu rule was stopped by Muslims and then the British occupation. What kind of people bring in 900,000 troops for eight million people? These are human beings,” said Prime Minister Imran to applause from the audience.
“What comes with Aryan superiority is arrogance and it makes people commit mistakes and do stupid, cruel things like what Modi has done. It is arrogance that has blinded Modi. Has he thought about what will happen after the curfew in Kashmir is lifted?, PM Khan said.
Prime Minister Khan is expected to focus on Kashmir since he has declared himself to be an Ambassador of Kashmir. He is likely to inform the Chinese officials about the state of human rights violations in IoK.