India remained again absent at sco in china, cpec a milestone in road infrastructure: Federal Minister
\n Tianjin
\nAddressing the Ministerial Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin, China, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s strong commitment to enhance trade through rail, road, and air routes. He expressed Pakistan\u2019s keen interest in establishing trade corridors through China, Afghanistan and Iran, highlighting the country\u2019s strategic role in regional connectivity and trade activities. Federal Minister emphasized that under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan has achieved major milestones in road infrastructure. \u201cOur focus now is to expand trade beyond the borders of Afghanistan and Iran with fully functional international-standard cargo ports in Gwadar and Karachi,\u201d he added. Federal Minister for Communications also underscored the significance of Khunjerab in the North and the coastal gateways of Gwadar and Karachi in Pakistan\u2019s trade expansion strategy. Highlighting regional development initiatives, Abdul Aleem Khan noted that the proposed Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway Project would be a transformative step for the entire region. He confirmed that Pakistan supports the construction of Silk Road Stations with China\u2019s cooperation and that the Khunjerab\u2013Sust Route will now remain operational year-round from year 2023.
\nIt is worth mentioning that 10 Member countries are participating in the ongoing SCO Ministerial Conference while India once again opted not to attend. As per details from India Anand Prakash was listed to attend this SCO who remained absent and his seat was left vacant. Talking about this, Abdul Aleem Khan remarked that such irresponsible behavior on a global forum is regrettable and shows India\u2019s unwillingness to face its regional counterparts. \u201cPakistan has always advocated for mutual respect and cooperation while as a nuclear power, India must adopt a responsible attitude and behave like a good neighbor,\u201d he stated. SCO delegates from other countries also expressed surprise and disappointment over India\u2019s absence in this Ministerial Session of SCO.
\nIn his address, the Federal Minister informed the conference that Pakistan is actively pursuing the digitalization of its Transport Systems and moving rapidly toward smart transport solutions. He added that Pakistan has implemented a visa-on-arrival policy for citizens of 126 countries with over 20,000 visas issued so far under this initiative. Abdul Aleem Khan expressed satisfaction with the proceedings of the SCO Conference and reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s commitment to fully implement its decisions.
\nHe stressed that the region\u2019s progress hinges on mutual trust, cooperation and modern transport connectivity. As a permanent member of the SCO since 2017, Pakistan is dedicated to improve communication infrastructure and forming an integrated transport network with other Member States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
India remained again absent at sco in china, cpec a milestone in road infrastructure: Federal Minister Tianjin Addressing the Ministerial Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin, China, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s strong commitment to enhance trade through rail, road, and air routes. He expressed Pakistan\u2019s keen interest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-488096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n