Pakistan desires peaceful solution to Kashmir dispute: Imran Khan

Beijing: Prime Minister Imran Khan during an exclusive interview with Chinese channel CGTN—broadcasted Tuesday (today)—stated that Pakistan wants a peaceful solution to long-standing Kashmir dispute. 

During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) anchor Liu Xin’s, the Premier said that Kashmir issue is a bone of contention between Pakistan and India. 

“There is a need for political resolution to all regional conflicts through dialogue,” Imran Khan underlined.

Expressing deep concern on the deplorable situation in Afghanistan, Khan urged the global community to pay attention to the plight of forty million Afghan people. 

The Prime Minister said both Pakistan and China are agreed that Afghanistan must be a top priority in the comity of nations.   

“Afghan people had been facing war like situation for four decades,” he added. 

The Prime Minister further said that Pakistan sustained maximum losses in the war on terror.

Imran Khan attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Following this Khan said that he is looking forward to watching the Games.  

“I spent almost 20 years of my life playing international sport and ever since I become the Prime Minister, I hardly have any time to watch sport, even on television,” said Imran Khan. 

He further added that, “This is going to be a great holiday, almost a pleasure to really watch Winter Olympics in Beijing and I'm really looking forward to that”.

“In between China and Pakistan, we are good brothers, but Pakistan also has good relationship with other countries, and Pakistan and the United States are also good friends, let's say. But some media are saying that Pakistan-US ties would face challenges due to rising tensions between China and the United States. What is your comment?” asked Liu Xin. 

Imran Khan replied with, “My comment is that the world does not need another Cold War”. 

He further added, “The world should not go through the situation where it's divided into two camps, and it does not benefit anyone. In fact, everyone suffers, but people gain if there is cooperation between the countries”.

He said Pakistan is facilitating foreign investors in the field of technology.      

Imran Khan said that the PTI government not only saved the country from economic depression but also gave significant relief to masses due to prudent economic policies.

He said we are trying to introduce Chinese Model in Pakistan for poverty alleviation.   

The Prime Minister thanked the Chinese government for providing coronavirus vaccines as Pakistan succeeded to curtail spread of the virus by utilizing Chinese experience.

He said that the first phase of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) consisted of connectivity and now we are entering the second phase of the project. 

Responding to a question, Imran Khan said that in his lifetime, he saw the European Union came into being, and then the standard of living of the entire European countries going up. 

“My priority in Pakistan are the 220 million people in my country,” he stated. 

“The only way I will get my people out of poverty, the bottom tier out of poverty, is if we have economic well-being, and economic well-being comes with stability and peace,” added former cricketer.