No doubt that the diplomatic and economic relations between Pakistan and China has touched new horizon of friendship and enhanced cooperation under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The $46 billion Chinese investment under CPEC has clearly reflected the Beijing's confidence in the economic policies of PMLN Government, he told APP.
While, commenting on the completion of 65 years of Pak-China diplomatic relations, Dr Naushad who is an expert on CPEC and Pak-China diplomatic relations said this era was an age of globalization and communication connectivity based on economic cooperation and those nations with sound economic policies and excellent communications and rails connectivity was moving forward on roads to progress and economic development.
In today's era of globalization, no country can live in isolation. The CPEC would not only bring people of Pakistan and China more closer but would provide an excellent opportunities to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian States (CARs) to find out new global markets and avenues by spending very less amount through Gwadar seaport, Dr Naushad maintained.
He said Gwadar port after completion would help Afghanistan, CARs and China to use the warm water of Pakistan for exporting their products to world markets, ultimately generate employment opportunities and business activities in Pakistan. KP and Balochistan would largely be benefited from the CPEC, he added.
These would increase the per capita income of people besides generating employment opportunities for people of the entire region, he said.
Dr Naushad said that CPEC was a life line and game changer project for Pakistan that would change the security paradigm of Pakistan, adding it would make our western and eastern border safe in security point of view.
The enhanced communication networks increase pace of development and trade activities besides bolstering a country's security, he said.
With completion of CPEC, he said, Pakistan would be safe from external threats. Referring to Pak-China strategic and defense cooperation, Dr Naushad said JF-17Thunder aircraft that was co-developed by Pakistan and China was an excellent example of defence cooperation between the two countries.
JF-17 Thunder aircraft is an all weather multi-role fighter jet with the capability to carry out air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes and can be fitted with beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles.
Dr Naushad said JF-17 aircraft has made Pakistan's defense impregnable.
He suggested exchange of delegations of intellectuals, media persons, artists and civil society besides cultural exchange programmes and arrangement of special training courses for students at colleges and universities level to learn Chinese and Urdu languages.