'One Gulf state paid Imran Khan to derail CPEC'

Islamabad: President of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Maulana Fazlur Rehman has claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan was paid by a Gulf state to derail the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and sink the Gwadar Port project. The JUI-F chief claimed to the media, after attending a jirga of tribal elders from North Waziristan district, that the PTI destroyed the country's new economic pillars, Geo News reported.

China's investment was one such pillar, he said, adding that CPEC was more than just a road, but a full economic package. "Gwadar is the second largest deep-sea port in Asia. Some countries were feeling a threat from Gwadar. It would have been the most useful port for trade. The PTI inflicted serious damages on the project," he added. Fazl said that the Financial Times article exposed the real face of PTI, Geo News reported.

The money given to Abraaj Group also included a huge chunk from a Gulf state, which was aimed at sinking the Gwadar Port project, he alleged. "Now we can see that the depth of the sea has reduced to just 11 feet," he claimed. Fazl said the PDM, by coming to power, actually accepted the challenge it faced. He said the government would give a detailed briefing to the PDM over the economic situation of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday and Ministers had been called to the meeting for the purpose. After that, a strategy would be devised for economic stability, he chief added.

—IANS