LAHORE – Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed his pleasure over the reopening of Khunjerab Pass and said that it would help increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and China.
The prime minister termed the occasion a welcome one for boosting trade with ‘Iron brother China’, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
He said the reopening of the Pass removed a hurdle that would further expedite the pace of work on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adding restoration of the trade route between the two countries, after a span of three years, was a matter of huge rejoice.
The prime minister said that the journey which had started way back in November 2019, had recommenced in the year 2023 and expressed his resolve to move ahead on CPEC with dual speed in comparison to 2018.
He said “CPEC is a gift of progress and prosperity given by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the Chinese leadership for the region and the people.”
The affection and cooperation from the Chinese leadership for the people of Pakistan were unforgettable, he added.
The prime minister said ‘a foreign funded person’ had committed a crime of creating controversy over CPEC.
He also appreciated the relevant authorities of the two countries and the team members over the restoration of trade and travel facility.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday rebutted the news attributed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which claimed that the latter was not in the favour of holding elections.
“This is a lie,” she said while terming the news, related to an important meeting chaired by the prime minister in Lahore the other day, “fabricated one”.
The minister also urged the media to publish only those news which was either issued by the prime minister’s office or by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
“Fabricated, baseless and malicious rumours should not be reported as news,” she stressed.
It was reported by some media sections that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday declared that the current economic and law and order situations in the country are not worth conducting immediate elections.
Such a statement emerged after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif chaired a meeting in which the current political and constitutional situation of the country was discussed. Legal experts, Federal Law Minister Nazir Tarar, Malik Ahmed Khan and Mansoor Awan also participated in the meeting. A briefing was given regarding the hearing of the case in the Supreme Court.
The legal experts briefed PM Shahbaz on the legal and constitutional aspects of the election case in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Meanwhile, it is also learnt that Shehbaz Sharif has also called a meeting of the parliamentary party of Pakistan Muslim League (N). There will be a consultation on political issues at the session. Prime Minister Shahbaz will brief the members on the political scenario.
