RAW blatantly involved in destabilising Pakistan: Gen Raheel

GWADAR: Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday said India has openly challenged the China Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC) and its intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is blatantly involved in destabilising Pakistan.

Speaking at a Seminar on China Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC), the army chief said hostile intelligence agencies are averse to the CPEC but "we will not allow anyone to create impediments and turbulence in any part of Pakistan".

General Raheel urged the international community to not only acknowledge Pakistan's  successes and sacrifices, but  also come forward and block external help to terrorist organizations, their facilitators, abettors and financiers.

He termed the CPEC as corridor of peace and prosperity for the whole region and said: "CPEC is the grand manifestation of the deep-rooted ties between China and Pakistan. Much larger than its bilateral benefits, CPEC is indeed a corridor of peace & prosperity, not only for the people of Pakistan & China but also for the region and beyond. It will bind all these nations together and bring about an economic transformation through enhanced connectivity".

General Raheel Sharif said the  CPEC is a lifetime opportunity for Pakistan to improve the socio-economic equation of its underprivileged areas and populace. "I assure the people of Balochistan that it is they,who will benefit the most from the fruits of this project.  In my belief,CPEC is poised to bring a true economic transformation to the province," he said.

He said Gwadar is central to the broader conception of CPEC, the corridor itself ranges from Western China to the plains and coasts of Pakistan and promises to bring prosperity to the remotest areas of Pakistan from Gilgit-Baltistan to Balochistan.

The army chief said while the CPEC has been appreciated by many world powers for its potential as a catalyst of economic transformation of the entire region, the project at the same time has also raised many eyebrows by those competing for influence in the region.

“I assure you that security of CPEC is our national undertaking and we will not leave any stone unturned. We will continue to keep a close watch at its every step,” he said, adding that , a fifteen thousand strong dedicated force is already in place under the ambit of Special Security Division to this effect.