ISLAMABAD, Dec 15 (DNA): Secretary General, United Business Group Zafar Bakhtawari has termed Pakistan’s decision not to participate in the US-hosted virtual summit on democracy was a wise step and said that the moot carried not a democratic but political agenda.
“The agenda of the summit was to form an Asian-NATO alliance and participation of Pakistan was to be harmful rather than beneficial”, said in an exclusive interview with INP on Wednesday.
He said the decision will have a positive impact on Pak-China growing mutual ties. As this decision has further brought the two neighborly counties further close to each other.
Zafar Bakhtawari pinned hoped that the upcoming foreign ministers’ summit of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) on Afghanistan will definitely draw positive consequences not only in the war battered Afghanistan but also in the region. He said Afghanistan under the current circumstance cannot be keep in an isolation, adding if situation in the neighboring country deteriorates, Pakistan will not be able to withstand its effects. He said it should be the efforts of all the participants countries specially, Pakistan to bring back peace in Afghanistan.
He said at present the Cold War has started in the World and the globe is being divided into two blocks, one block including countries like China, Russia, Turkey and Iran and other consisting of G-11 countries, including Britain, Canada, Japan and India. This mean another NATO-style alliance is being formed in the region for specific purpose.
He added that the summit on Democratic did not have the support of the republics because it had political agenda. That way China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stayed away from this summit, he added.
Replying to a question, he said Afghanistan cannot be left alone under the prevailing circumstances, Afghanistan is a neighboring country of Pakistan and out fall of any situation brings a direct impact on Pakistan.
He feared that if the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated, Pakistan would not be able to cope with the consequences, so the situation in Afghanistan needed to be stabilized expeditiously.
In response to a question, Zafar Bakhtawari said that the OIC Foreign Ministers’ Conference to be held on December 19 has a very important agenda and it will focus on Afghanistan and at the same time it is expected that progress will be made on rehabilitation and assistance to Afghanistan. Significant progress is also possible in terms of the recognition of the Afghan government by various countries after the conference.
He pointed out that systematically India is being given important place in Afghanistan to hamper Pakistan’s efforts to play any positive role in the country.
He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement regarding the war on terror is cent percent correct and represents the nation aspirations.
To another question he said the ongoing slowdown in the work of CEPC will now accelerate and the early completion of projects will be to the benefit of Pakistan, China.
He held responsible Pakistan’s failed foreign policy for the country’s economic woes.
To a question, he said it is the high time to resolve the Kashmir issue because it has developed instability in the whole region.
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