PESHAWAR/CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Thursday said the remarks of US principal deputy assistant secretary Alice Wells about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project showed that Pakistan’s foreign policy had failed.

In a statement, Mr Sherpao said the government should have responded to her remarks in an effective manner as China was a close friend and ally of Pakistan.

“China has always helped Pakistan. The CPEC is a game-changer project so the government must take steps to cement relations with Beijing and promote the country’s interest,” he said.

The QWP chairman said the remarks of the US official that the CPEC contracts had been awarded to some blacklisted firms were meant to hurt Pakistan’s interest.

“The remarks suggest the failure of the PTI government, which has been unable to protect the interest of the country,” he added.

Mr Sherpao said CPEC was a mega project which would promote regional connectivity besides improving Pakistan’s infrastructure that will yield benefits for the people.

Coming down hard on the PTI government, he said the rulers made a U-turn and did not attend the Kuala Lumpur summit exposing its flawed foreign policy.

Meanwhile, QWP provincial chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao has said the Amnesty International’s report had exposed the PTI government’s claims of ending corruption as Pakistan dropped three spots on global corruption Perception Index 2019.

He was addressing party workers at Watan Kor in connection with preparations for the anniversary of Hayat Mohammad Khan Sherpao. Mr Sikandar said the government’s foreign policy had miserably failed as US official Alice Wells opposed the CPEC project during a visit to Pakistan.

He said inflation was galloping with every passing day, while PM Imran Khan’s economic team and ministers had failed to check skyrocketing prices of essential items.

The QWP leader said unemployment rate had peaked with youths greatly disappointed by the government’s poor performance. He said the government had lost the people’s confidence, while rifts in its ranks had become visible.

Mr Sikandar said all preparations had been made to mark the death anniversary of Hayat Sherpao.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2020