Forum seeks consistency in policies for corridor

There is a need for consistency in policies for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, to reap maximum benefits from the project, according to a forum in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Chairman of Islamic Ideology Qibla Ayaz said that harmony among different sects in the country and the maintenance of peace in border regions are needed to complete the project with high quality.

He was addressing a seminar on "Sino-Pakistan Relations: The New Avenues" organized by the Pakistan China Friendship Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chapter, or PCFA KP Chapter, held at the China Study Centre, University of Peshawar, or UoP.

Vice-Chancellor of UoP Mohammad Saleem, Secretary-General of the PCFA KP Chapter Syed Ali Nawaz Gilani and students attended the seminar.

Qibla Ayaz had recently headed a delegation of 20 Pakistani religious clerics in a visit to China.

The members visited Beijing and Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The chairman said there is no restriction on Muslims to worship and they enjoy the freedom to perform religious obligations.

In response to questions from students, he said China is playing an active role in global politics. China has used its good offices for brokering peace in the Middle East, between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and similarly between other countries in the region.

The government of Pakistan's long-term foreign policy should not change with the change in the government as the CPEC is a long-term project and it requires consistency in policies, he said.

In his speech, Syed Ali Nawaz Gilani said the relations between Pakistan and China have strengthened with the passage of time.

Kausar Takreem, coordinator of China Study Center at the University of Peshawar, said the China-Pakistan relations are based on mutual trust.

Takreem emphasized that Chinese authorities are promoting the harmonious coexistence of all the ethnic groups in the large family of the Chinese nation and closely promoting high-quality economic and social development of people's livelihoods.