India and the world powers have turned against Pakistan as soon as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project came to the fore, Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said on Sunday.
“Our neighbouring country and many world powers are after us following [the initiation of] CPEC,” Rafique wrote in posts on Twitter.
The minister seemed to be responding to the recent remarks of US Defence Secretary James Mattis, who said that the multi-billion dollar road and rail network, which is part of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, passed through a disputed territory.
Mattis, who was testifying before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, apparently tried to appease India, which has long claimed that the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan is part of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state which it has occupied for decades.
Rafique went on to add that world powers do not wish to see Pakistan prosper [as a result of the developmental projects]. In these circumstances, there is a need to forge unity in the national ranks, he added.
“When you can clearly see that the enemy is confronting you, then you can stop worrying about your rivals within the country,” Rafique said, adding “all [political] forces need to unite in the larger national interest”.
