Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered wheat to Pakistan in addition to gas, keeping in mind the damage done to the country’s bread basket after the devastating floods.
Asif further said that the Russian President has also invited the Prime Minister and the visit will take place.
They have said that they can give us gas. Russia said that they have gas pipelines in Central Asian countries and these pipelines can be extended to Pakistan through Afghanistan. These negotiations have taken place.”
The Defense Minister also said that Russia has appreciated Pakistan’s stand on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
He further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit China for the first time on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the first week of November.
The defense minister said President Xi extended the invitation during a meeting between the two leaders in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
Asif further said that the Prime Minister’s meeting with the Chinese President was very successful. He said President Xi expressed his commitment to push forward the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and called Pakistan an “all-weather strategic friend”.
Asif concluded by saying that all SCO members have expressed their willingness to help Pakistan as it faces devastating floods.
Shahbaz Sharif will appoint the new army chief in November.
The Defense Minister reiterated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will appoint the country’s new army chief in November as per the constitution.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, Asif said that it doesn’t matter what Imran Khan says, the appointment of the Army Chief is a constitutional obligation that the Prime Minister will fulfill in November.
Stating that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif never made the appointment of Army Chief a subject of debate, he added that ‘Nawaz Sharif also fulfilled this constitutional responsibility 4 times’.
The defense minister also criticized former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan and added that Imran is trying to make the appointment of the army chief ‘controversial’. He further said that Imran is saying things that should not be said.
Asif said that the PTI chief was harming the country and its interests in his efforts to regain power and accused him of trying to stop Pakistan from helping the flood victims.
The PML-N leader also said that Pakistan’s national security is linked to its economic security and Imran is endangering it with his continuous attacks.
He alleged that Imran Khan repeatedly attacked Pakistan’s national and economic security.
This development has come at a time when efforts are underway to restore strained relations between Pakistan and the US.
A senior adviser to the US Secretary of State recently visited Islamabad, after US President Joe Biden’s administration approved a $450 million sale of F-16 equipment, with Washington working with Islamabad. Wants to maintain a relationship.
Amidst all this, Shahbaz’s meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday are significant and show that Pakistan is trying to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with major powers.
A transcript released by Putin’s office after the meeting with Shahbaz expressed Russia’s desire to deepen ties with Pakistan. Meanwhile, President Xi described the Pakistani prime minister as “a man of pragmatism and efficiency” in his first meeting with Shahbaz.
Shahbaz also praised Putin, calling Russia a “superpower” and its president a “man of words”. On his part, the Russian president began the meeting with Shahbaz by recalling his working relationship with his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, when he was prime minister.
Observers believe that Shahbaz’s flurry of meetings with the Russian and Chinese presidents shows that Pakistan’s policy of seeking to diversify the country’s foreign policy options remains intact.
