As the government is completing its constitutional tenure in about two months, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has kicked off consultation process with the opposition to develop a consensus on the names for caretaker setup, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said here on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters after addressing a conference on "Pakistan: A Land of Opportunities for Central Asian Republics," jointly organized by National Security Division (NSD) and Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS), Iqbal said that efforts would be made to finalize consensus names for the caretaker setup to conduct free, fair and transparent general elections.
He expressed the confidence that the opposition will agree to the best possible names, who have strong and unwavering democratic credentials and can ensure timely election and not to those who may put the election process on delay.
To a question about the future of former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he said that it has to be for the party to decide about his future, adding that party matters should be resolved within the party.
To another query, he said that 600 names who have been on the Exit Control List (ECL) since August 2016 have been forwarded to the federal cabinet, adding the decision on the fate of these 600 individuals will be taken by the cabinet.
Speaking at the conference, Iqbal said that Pakistan and Central Asian states would benefit from the platform and infrastructure being constructed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He said that two more corridors would also be completed during the next few years based on CPEC connecting Pakistan, China and Central Asia - one corridor would link Peshawar with Kabul and Tajikistan and the other will connect Quetta with Herat and Turkmenistan.
These corridors would not only provide connectivity to Central Asia but also extend it to Russia, he said, adding that Central Asian states can benefit from the huge Chinese investment.
He said that China is investing $46 billion in various projects of connectivity, transportation and energy which will not only benefit Pakistan but also countries in the region.
He said that Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and the 1,227km electricity transmission line between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan known as CASA-1000 will be completed soon.
Iqbal also underscored the need for increasing air links between Pakistan and Central Asian states, adding that there is also need for making the visa process easier.
While addressing the conference, National Security Adviser, Lieutenant-General Nasser Khan Janjua (retd) said that during his recent visit to Kabul, he underscored the need for increasing contacts not only with Afghanistan but also with Central Asian states.
He said that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also wants to increase the contacts, which is a welcoming development. He said that the Afghan President is willing to make a comprehensive roadmap for Pakistan and Afghanistan for cooperation between the two countries.
He said unrest in Afghanistan has created various challenges for Pakistan, adding that Pakistan has always played a positive role for finding a political solution to the Afghan conflict.
He said that the US has acknowledged that 44 percent of Afghan territory is out of the control of Afghan government while latest media reports suggest that 74 percent Afghan land is not in control of Kabul.
These situations have provided spaces for the non-state actors such as Daesh and other terrorist organizations to operate in Afghanistan, which have posed serious challenges to the regional countries, he added.
Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, speaking at the conference, said that Pakistan offers enormous opportunities for Central Asian countries, adding that Pakistan was the first to recognize the Central Asian states after independence.
She said that Pakistan is making serious efforts for expanding cooperation in various areas with Central Asian countries including on the platform of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the TAPI gas pipeline project.
She said that the balance of global power is changing and it is transforming from unipolar to a bipolar, which is also bringing opportunities for greater cooperation among the regional countries.
Referring to Afghan conflict, she said that Afghanistan has become part of the war economy, adding that it is unfortunate that the unrest in Afghanistan has resulted into the huge drug trade, emergence of different terrorist organizations and non-state actors which have also endangered the security of the regional countries.
Janjua said that no other country than Pakistan has been affected from Afghan conflict, adding that peaceful Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan. She said that Pakistan can no longer afford any instability in its neighborhood and it will play its due role for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
She said that Pakistan has welcomed the recent announcement by Afghan President for peace with the warring factions, adding that Pakistan is ready to cooperate in the Afghan reconciliation process.
The emergence of China and the CPEC will benefit all the regional countries, she said, adding that Pakistan will act as a bridge between South Asia and Central Asia through the connectivity projects under CPEC.
Referring to the outstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the foreign secretary said that Kashmir is the oldest unresolved regional dispute and hoped that India would show flexibility for the just and peaceful solution of the issue.
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