Prime Minister Imran Khan who is visiting China next week said that CPEC has brought Pakistan and China further closer. He said that while lauding policies adopted by Chinese authorities that helped in bringing record people above the poverty line.

He said that it was unfortunate that no attention was paid by Pakistan’s previous regimes for pulling its population out of poverty. “CPEC is now entering into a phase where industrial development is at the forefront,” the prime minister said.

Speaking over the Pakistan-China relationship, the prime minister said that their friendly and brotherly relationship dates back to 70 years and many Chinese citizens have laid down their life for the construction of Shahra-e-KaraKoram, also known as Karakoram Highway.

The prime minister said that there is a need to learn from the expertise of China especially in the infrastructural development, which saw the country developing cities in a short duration.

Speaking on the Kashmir dispute, the prime minister said that there is a specific silence in the West over Kashmir, where gross human rights violations have been reported publically. “Silence of West on the situation is alarming for us,” he said.

Further speaking on the humanitarian issue in Afghanistan, Imran Khan said that the country had spent 40 years in crisis and now there is a dire need to bring peace.

“The Western countries cannot abandon Afghanistan without a solution as it could only lead to crisis and civil war,” he said.