Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar interview: ‘China-Pakistan economic corridor is our lifeline… going ahead with it’

Edited excerpts:

What are the cardinal takeaways for Pakistan?

I think, archetypal of all, hosting this SCO acme was a large honour for us, and we’ve tried to marque the champion arrangements possible. Islamabad is simply a precise beauteous metropolis surrounded by the Margalla hills…I deliberation our guests, who person travel from each implicit the world, volition transportation a bully and affirmative representation of Pakistan. So, a soft, bully representation of Pakistan is the archetypal takeaway, and with respect to antagonistic terrorism, development, taste exchanges, I deliberation the determination issues person been discussed astatine length, so, I judge that arsenic a cardinal subordinate successful the region, we’ll beryllium capable to play our role.

How bash you presumption External Affairs Minister Jaishankar’s sojourn to Pakistan — the archetypal sojourn aft astir 9 years?

Our relations are based connected reciprocity. I deliberation we invited each the guests from the SCO subordinate states. This is simply a multilateral forum. The SCO has its ain protocols, and the SCO has its ain format. So I deliberation we invited the Indian Foreign minister, helium was astatine the taste lawsuit past night. And the Prime Minister welcomed him there, arsenic helium welcomed each the guests arsenic well. This morning, helium received each his guests. So I deliberation with respect to determination issues, this volition spell a agelong way. This SCO has been well-attended by each our subordinate states. I deliberation it’s affirmative successful that mode with respect to multilateral issues.

Minister Jaishankar said that “if spot is lacking oregon practice inadequate, if relationship has fallen abbreviated and bully neighbourliness is missing somewhere, determination are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address”. How bash you respond to that?

I think, arsenic I said before, our relations are based connected reciprocity, and it’s a agelong debate. But I think, since this is simply a multilateral forum, issues with respect to multilateral issues should beryllium discussed.

He besides raised the contented of connectivity and the contented of territorial integrity and sovereignty, which is an oblique notation to the China-Pakistan economical corridor. How bash you respond to that?

The China-Pakistan economical corridor is our lifeline. And it’s been a game-changer successful this region. And adjacent now, the CPEC Phase 2, which is much of a business-to-business model, we’re going up with that. And Pakistan truly believes successful this cause, and our relationship with China has been a time-tested, all-weather friendship. CPEC signifier 2 is going connected successfully, the Prime Minister and the Chinese Premier jointly inaugurated the Gwadar planetary airport. So I deliberation CPEC means a large woody to us.

Does curate Jaishankar’s sojourn pb to immoderate bilateral interaction?

As I said, it’s each astir reciprocity. Let’s spot however this multilateral forum goes, and possibly astatine a aboriginal stage, we tin sermon this.