Some forces want to destabilise Pakistan, harm CPEC: FM Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi here on Sunday said some forces wanted to destabilise Pakistan and harm the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project, ARY News reported.

“Foes of Pakistan cannot see the CPEC making progress, offering greater connectivity and commercial activities to the region,” Shah Mehmood Qureshi said while talking to journalists in Multan.

Referring to the Gwadar terrorist attack, he said Pakistan would not blame any country without proper investigation.

To a question, the federal minister said the Pakistan Air Force would respond befittingly in case of any misadventure by India.

Talking about the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement, he said the nation would have to think that why Pakistan had to approach the IMF.

“When the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government came into power, it came to know how much Pakistan’s trade deficit was. We had a total difference of Rs19 billion in imports and exports. There was no investment in the country and circumstances were growing worse,” he said.

FM Qureshi said the PTI government made efforts to control the situation. The trade deficit had increased enormously, he added. He said the government was trying to bring as many people in the tax net as possible.

“When people will start paying taxes it will reduce the burden on common men,” he said.

The minister said during the era of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) petrol was 27 dollar per barrel. The incumbent government cut GST from 56 percent to 17 percent, he added.

“Temporary stability of rupee resolves the issue for a short period only,” he said referring to the previous government’s tactics to stabilize the PKR.

The reason behind delay in talks with the IMF was to soften the terms and conditions, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said.