ISLAMABAD -Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, agreed to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project “from its detractors and adversaries,” according to the Foreign Office.
During a weekly press briefing, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra-Baloch stated that the two leaders held delegation-level talks in Beijing this morning.
During the talks, premiers Shehbaz and Li Qiang reiterated their unwavering support for each other on key issues, as well as their continued commitment to CPEC’s high-quality development and timely completion of all ongoing projects, Zahra reported.
The Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership was “characterised by mutual trust, shared principles, and strategic convergence,” according to the two leaders.
According to Zahra, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unflinching resolve” to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel and projects in Pakistan.
She stated that the two countries agreed to maintain high-level exchanges, including “strengthening institutional linkages at all tiers and in all spheres of bilateral cooperation”.
“Pakistan and China will also continue to consult closely on issues of regional and global significance, as well as multilateral fora, especially during Pakistan’s two-year tenure as a non-member of the United Nations Security Council,” the FO spokesperson stated.
Zahra stated that 23 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements were signed to “deepen cooperation in transport infrastructure, industry, energy, agriculture, media, health, water, and socioeconomic development,” among other areas.
PM Shehbaz will then travel to Xi’an to meet with provincial officials and business leaders in the agricultural and green energy sectors, she said.
INDIA-Occupied Kashmir
Meanwhile, the spokesperson stated that Pakistan has called on India to be held accountable for its ongoing human rights violations in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where more than 7,000 people have died in the custody of Indian forces over the last 30 years.
When asked about the reported death of a civilian at a police station in Pulwama district, she said, “This is not the first incident of its kind; over the last three decades, the number of custodial deaths in IIOJK has exceeded 7,000.” The perpetrators of these crimes must be held accountable,” she said, reaffirming Pakistan’s ongoing political, diplomatic, and moral support for the Kashmiri people and the just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
She thanked the members of the UN General Assembly, particularly the Asia Pacific Group, for their confidence in Pakistan’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the term 2025-26, which received overwhelming support from 182 members.
She condemned the hundreds of Israeli extremists who stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, saying it was the occupation authorities’ responsibility to respect religious sites. We reiterate our call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to stop the massacre of civilians and hold Israel accountable for its crimes, she said.
She informed the media that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would pay a one-day visit to Istanbul to attend the D8 Council of Foreign Ministers’ extraordinary meeting on the situation in Gaza.
The D8 foreign ministers will discuss the international community’s shared responsibility for bringing an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and an end to the inhumane and unjustified war on the people of Gaza.
The deputy prime minister will discuss Pakistan’s position on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as well as the importance of an unconditional cease-fire, the lifting of the siege, and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people.
The spokesperson informed the media that the Tunisian Ambassador in Islamabad, Borhene El Kamel, had died after a long illness, and expressed condolences and sympathy to the Tunisian government and the grieving family.
