MULTAN - Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Monday rejected opposition’s claims about slowdown of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, saying the two countries were moving towards the second phase of the mega project.
Talking to the media before flying to Islamabad here, he said Pakistan and China were satisfied over the progress on CPEC projects. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was leaving for China on a three-day official visit during which he would hold meetings with Chinese president and his counterpart as well as heads of different companies, who were interested for investment in Pakistan.
Qureshi said that Chinese president was also paying a visit to India within next few days, adding that China and Pakistan wanted to consult on different issues before the visit. He said the two friendly countries enjoyed deep-rooted relations and had unprecedented association.
Replying to a question, the minister said India wished to blacklist Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), adding that Pakistan had presented its point of view before the Asia Pacific Group about the measures taken by the government in this connection.
The foreign minister noted that India was not in a position to allow anyone for visiting Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) because of the lockdown imposed by the Indian government for the last 62 days.
He said that US Senator Chris Van Hollen was denied visit to IOJ&K; however, Pakistan facilitated him during his visit to different parts of Pakistan including Azad Kashmir. He said the US senator wrote a letter to US President Donald Trump for his attention toward ongoing situation in IOJ&K.