China terms CPEC a resilient project

ISLAMABAD/BEIJING: Pakistan on Friday called upon the UN counterterrorism bodies to proceed on the basis of evidence provided by it in a dossier and urged India to renounce the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

The UN counterterrorism bodies were also urged to ask India to dismantle the terror infrastructure aimed at inflicting terrorism on Pakistan and stop the use of other countries’ soil for terrorism against Pakistan.

The Foreign Office made this demand after rejecting the remarks of Indian Prime Minister Modi and said he had once again leveled groundless allegations against Pakistan. “Pakistan categorically rejects the groundless allegations levelled by the prime minister of India against it. We view these as part of India’s desperate attempts to divert international attention from its state-terrorism in the IOJ&K and state-sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan. It is evident that India has stepped up anti-Pakistan propaganda, following presentation of the dossier by Pakistan providing irrefutable evidence of India’s state-sponsorship of terrorism,” said the Foreign Office.

The strong reaction from Pakistan came after Modi tweeted that India had neutralized four Pakistani terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammed and also captured a large cache of weapons and explosives.

“Our security forces have once again displayed utmost bravery and professionalism,” tweeted Modi. Pakistan reacted by saying that terrorism as an instrument of state policy by India made it guilty under the international law, UN sanctions regime, and international counterterrorism conventions.

The Foreign Office said it was the collective responsibility of the world community to hold India to account and take practical steps to proceed against the Indian nationals involved in patronage of terrorist entities.

The Foreign Office said that its dossier extensively documented India’s active planning, promoting, aiding, abetting, financing and execution of terrorist activities against Pakistan. “Bland denials and regurgitation of old litany of charges by India will not change facts,” it added.

Pakistan pointed out that raising the ‘bogey’ of so-called “cross-border terrorism” time and again did not lend any credibility to India’s false narrative. On the other hand, it reminded that India’s history of conducting false flag operations in the IOJ&K and inside India to malign Pakistan was too well-known.

“We have consistently sensitized the international community to the possibility of India resorting yet again to a false flag operation, and we take this opportunity to forewarn the world again,” said the Foreign Office.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Friday said any attempt to sabotage the CPEC flagship project would not succeed and both China and Pakistan, with the support of international community, could work together to ensure its success.

“I have already made my response to this issue. No attempt to sabotage the CPEC will succeed,” Zhao Lijian made these remarks during a briefing while answering a question about Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar’s joint briefing last week during which they held India responsible for supporting terrorist forces and sabotaging CPEC. Lijian said China opposed all forms of terrorism and double standard on counterterrorism.

“China calls on the international community, the regional countries in particular, to carry out counterterrorism cooperation and safeguard collective security,” he added. Commending Pakistan for its positive contribution to global counterterrorism cause, he said China firmly supported Pakistan’s efforts towards counterterrorism, safeguarding its territory and regional peace and security.

He reiterated that CPEC was an important and pioneering project of the Belt and Road Initiative and it was not only important for common development of the two countries, but also for regional connectivity and prosperity. “We are confident that with the support of the international community, China and Pakistan can work together to ensure the success of the CPEC,” he said.