Historic Pak-China military dialogue

ISLAMABAD: The budget speech by Finance Minister Miftah Ismail is talk of the town in the twin-cities wherein he told the nation that the first priority of the government was to avoid Sri Lanka-like situation (bankruptcy) in Pakistan.

While Miftah Ismail was presenting federal budget in the National Assembly on June 10 after the meeting of federal cabinet, Pakistan’s top-level military delegation was holding very important talks on regional and global situation with the military top-brass of time-tested friendly country China. Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa led his team in the APEX meeting.

Not only the leadership of Pakistan Army Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the chiefs of Pakistan Navy and Air Force were also present in the meeting. According to ISPR, the situation in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran came under discussion apart from deliberations on how to enhance work on the Pak-China Economic Corridor project.

China had deposited $2.4 billion in the State Bank of Pakistan in 2021, and there are hopes that it will grant Pakistan in a few days rollover of same amount for one year. This step of China will help stop downward slide in the foreign currency reserves.

The military top-brass meeting with the leadership of Chinese People’s Liberation Army remained secret unless ISPR issued a brief statement on Saturday regarding the visit to China. The ISPR statement on the four-day vitally important military consultation in China is certainly a pleasant news after worrisome statements about the future of Pakistan made by the leaders of both ruling alliance and the opposition in the last four days.

The claim made by Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina Wajid that her country was most stable economically than India and Pakistan also came under discussion.

The military leadership of Pakistan and China has declared that Pak nukes are very much saved and are a deterrence only against its arch-enemy India, and no one can take away nuclear capability from Pakistan.