5/25/2019 Pak-China iron friendship | Pakistan Today

Pak-China iron friendship

BY ALI SUKHANVAR , (LAST UPDATED OCTOBER 1, 2018)

Higher than mountains, deeper than oceans

A er 9/11 things were made very bi er and painful for Pakistan, even though no
Pakistani played any part in the a ack. Our so-called friends pushed us into the inferno
of terrorism through a very planned and organised manipula on of events. Foreign and
even local investors were convinced that their investments might go waste in Pakistan
because there was no one who could save them from the terrorists. Interna onal
media par cularly the media patronised by forces hos le to Pakistan also played a very
important role. Even a gas-cylinder blast at a gas-filling sta on was portrayed and
projected as a suicide-a ack. Street crimes were highlighted in a horrible way; the
judicial system as well as the working of the police department and other security
agencies was unjustly cri cised. In short our ‘well-wishers’ succeeded in crea ng an air
of fear and dread among the investors and it all resulted in severe damage to our
economic and social structure. Thank God our army succeeded in uproo ng this
menace of terrorism. Credit goes to our me tested friend China also which came
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forward in such a horrible situa on with the precious CPEC project and showed us a
new way to a peacefully prosperous and strategically important Pakistan.

With the new poli cal scenario in Pakistan, things are gradually turning to a very
posi ve direc on. Prime Minister Imran Khan is doing his best to solve all serious
issues including the economic crisis, social injus ce and law and order situa on. It is
important that Khan’s efforts are fully supported by the Pakistan army, the honourable
Judiciary, the media and the public. Recently the prime minister paid an official visit to
Saudi Arabia. This two-day trip began exactly one month a er he assumed office.
Moreover it was his first visit to any country as the prime minister of Pakistan. It was
no doubt a very successful visit. Pakistan’s informa on minister, Fawad Chaudhry, on
his return from Saudi Arabia told media that Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to
become the third partner in the Beijing-funded Belt and Road corridor of major
infrastructure projects inside Pakistan. He said referring to the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor, “Saudi Arabia is the first country whom we have invited as third
country partner in CPEC. Pakistan is expec ng investment from Saudi Arabia in a major
way.”

In the third week of September, Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed
Bajwa also paid a three-day official visit to China. The success of his visit to China may
be es mated by the statement of the honourable President of China Mr Xi Jinping as
reported by China’s official news agency Xinhua. Mr President said, “China places a
‘high premium’ on its rela ons with Pakistan and believes a key economic project
(CPEC) will be successful. As long as high-degree mutual trust and concrete measures
are in place, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor construc on will succeed and
deliver benefits to people of the two countries. The two countries are iron friends.”

CPEC in itself is an ‘iron-project’ of ‘iron-friends. To help turn Pakistan into a major

overland route linking western China to the world China has planned to invest $60
billion for the building of power sta ons, major highways, new and upgraded railways
and higher capacity ports in the CPEC project. The work on the project is heading
rapidly towards comple on. A few days back a group of selected media-persons was
invited by the embassy of China to visit the Sukkar-Multan sec on of Karachi-Peshawar
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Motorway Project, an important chapter of the CPEC. The counsellor at the embassy of
People’s Republic of China in Islamabad Honourable Mr Li Yuanling himself
accompanied the delega on to the sec on to be visited near Multan. Li Yuanling’s
vibrant and very ac ve role in bringing the two countries closer is always very much
honoured, appreciated and admired in both the countries.

1152km long Karachi-Peshawar motorway starts from Karachi and ends at Peshawar
a er passing through many important ci es of Pakistan including Hyderabad, Sukkar,
Multan, Lahore and Islamabad. 392km long Sukkar-Multan sec on is further divided
into seven sub-sec ons, each about 54-59km long and the construc on work on all
these seven por ons is going on simultaneously. A er the comple on of Karachi-
Peshawar motorway the travel me from Karachi to Islamabad will be shortened by six
hours. Another salient feature of the project is that it is providing countless job-
opportuni es to the local people. The propor on of Chinese staff to Pakistani staff
reaches one to 15.6. The media-persons themselves witnessed the asphalt pavement
work which is technically considered as the ‘finishing touches’ of every road-
construc on project.

“
1152km long Karachi-Peshawar motorway starts from Karachi and ends at Peshawar a er passing through many
important ci es of Pakistan including Hyderabad, Sukkar, Multan, Lahore and Islamabad

CPEC shall not only shorten the distances but also bring Pakistani and Chinese na ons
more close to each other. Certainly this cordiality between Pakistan and China is not
‘good-news’ for countries like India and to some extant for our ‘old’ friend USA but one
day they would also feel happy when the benefits and advantages of the CPEC would
reach them silently and stealthily. Things achieved without doing any effort, any
struggle and any expense have a taste of their own; Pakistan and China would never
relish upon that unique taste as they have done a lot of struggle, efforts and no doubt
given so many sacrifices of precious lives too.
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