Foreign minister says he will meet Aafia’s sister next week

LAHORE: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said Pakistan will extend help to Aafia Siddique as per the law to lessen her difficulties.

"Aafia's sister had contacted me and I will meet her next week," he said while talking to the media when asked about Siddique's appeal.

Qureshi added that the friendship between Pakistan and China was expanding and it had now entered from strategic to a new economic dimension. "Speculations on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had died their own death following the issuance of joint statement that clearly showed Pak-China friendly relations were time-tested and would grow further with the passage of time."

He also said during Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to China they met the top Chinese leadership that focused on next phase of CPEC, defence cooperation, economy and enhancing Pakistani exports to China. "The previous government had laid stress on infrastructure with regard to CPEC, but the incumbent government wished to move forward keeping in view the education, health, industry, skill development, agriculture and more investment for jobs creation."



The foreign minister went on to say that Pakistan was also in talks with United Arab Emirates on improving economic relations.

Shedding light on the recent talks with senior US diplomat Alice Wells, Qureshi said the talks began with a positive note and focused on improving bilateral relations after a long time. "Earlier, they just used to talk about Afghanistan and 'Do More' but recent talks acknowledged Pakistan's contribution for peace. Alice Wells appreciated Pakistan's cooperation."

He concluded that the support US wanted from Pakistan for Afghanistan reconciliation process was being extended and would continue in future.

With additional input from APP