PM hails reopening of Khunjerab pass after three years

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sunday expressed his pleasure over the reopening of Khunjerab Pass and said it would help increase the trade between Pakistan and China.

The prime minister welcomed the step to boost trade with the Iron Brother China, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

Shehbaz said the reopening of the pass had removed a hurdle that would expedite the work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adding that restoration of the trade route between the two countries, after three years, was a matter of huge rejoicing.

The prime minister said the journey, which started way back in November 2019, had recommenced in the year 2023 and expressed his resolve to move ahead on CPEC with the dual speed in comparison to 2018.

He said CPEC was a gift of progress and prosperity given by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the Chinese leadership for the region and people.

“The affection and cooperation from the Chinese leadership for the people of Pakistan are unforgettable, he added.

The prime minister said ‘a foreign-funded person’ had made CPEC controversial.

He also appreciated the relevant authorities of the two countries and team members for the restoration of trade and travel facilities.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) senior vice president and chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday congratulated the leadership of China and Pakistan on the restoration of Sino-Pak trade after a three-year gap.

In a statement, she said the opening of the Khunjerab Pass, which was closed due to Covid-19, is a significant development that will end the hardships of people on both sides. The reopening of Khunjerab Pass will help to end the hardships of the people on both sides.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping are strengthening the Pakistan-China iron brotherhood, she added.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif also praised the Pakistan-China iron brotherhood and accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of deliberately stalling Pakistan-China trade activities and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo and the architect of CPEC, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, started the project with the help of China to boost Pakistan’s development.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif believes that if the CPEC and Pak-China trade had continued at the pace of the Pakistan Muslim League-N era, the people would not have been miserable today.

She emphasized that China-Pakistan relations are the red line of national security and dismissed the baseless allegations of corruption in the projects being run in Pakistan with the cooperation of CPEC and China, which she believes were made by foreign-funded agents to create ‘fitna’.

The conspiracy, according to Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has been foiled.

The foreign-funded agent [Imran] made baseless allegations of corruption in the projects being run in Pakistan with the cooperation of CPEC and China.