NEW YORK: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Friday the expansionist designs of the Indian government under its Hindutva ideology were extremely dangerous for peace and security.

Referring to the murder of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil by India, he said Pakistan had been directly bearing the brunt of New Delhi’s nefarious designs for a long time, but the recent wave of Hindutva had even alarmed Western capitals.

Pakistan, he added, had been persistently highlighting India’s hegemonic designs under its Hindutva ideology since long and would keep doing so. “We have also taken up the issue along with the target killing in Canada with the United Nations secretary general,” he added.

The capture of Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav in Balochistan was a clear proof of India’s direct interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, the prime minister said in an interview with PTV on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 78th session.

He said Pakistan was fully capable of tackling the challenge of terrorism. “We are proud of our military which has developed the capability of eliminating the menace,” he said, adding Pakistan was in close coordination with its neighbours, including Afghanistan, in this regard.

The entire region was deeply concerned and worried about the resurgence of terrorism, he remarked.

As regards relations with China, PM Kakar said Pakistan enjoyed deep-rooted and all-weather friendship with China, which “will remain intact in future”.

He said Pakistan was a sovereign and independent country. “If anybody thinks that we will develop relations with any country at China’s cost, he or she cannot understand the legitimate interests of Pakistan with respect to China.”

He said Pakistan had friendly relations with the United States and other Western countries. A large number of Pakistanis were in the US and were playing a key role in furthering bilateral relations, he added.

Meeting with IMF chief

Regarding his meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, the prime minister said the IMF chief expressed her pleasure when she was told about actions taken by Pakistan against smugglers and currency hoarders.

The IMF’s only objective was to improve Pakistan’s economic situation and that was why it wanted assurances that the money being given by it were in safe hands, he added.

The prime minister said all the multilateral financial institutions had expressed satisfaction over the government’s economic revival plan, which included tax reforms, expanding the tax net, measures to increase revenue generation, smooth running of the privatisation process and reforms in the power sector.

He expressed the hope that utility bills would gradually come down thanks to the government’s crackdown against electricity theft.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2023