Pak PM Sharif accuses Imran Khan of halting progress on CPEC, damaging ties with China

Sharif, however, regretted that the previous government led by Imran Khan created misconceptions about the project which resulted in its slow implementation. “The Prime Minister regretted that the previous government not only halted progress on the CPEC but also left no stone unturned to damage this relationship which is higher than the Himalayas. He, however, said that the present coalition government had made sincere efforts to further strengthen the relationship with China,” state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

The prime minister thanked President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government for supporting Pakistan especially when it awaited the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He hoped that the agreement would be given final approval during the IMF’s board meeting on July 12.

The USD 60 billion CPEC is the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative or BRI – a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by President Xi when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.

India has strongly protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

India is also critical of the BRI, which drew global concerns over China’s debt diplomacy of extending huge loans to smaller countries for unsustainable infrastructure projects.

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