Visit of Vice Minister of International Department of CPC to PCI
Date : 20-12-2014 By : Amna Javed
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The Vice Minister, of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, His Excellency Mr. Chen Fengxiang visited the Pakistan-China Institute on December 20, 2014. The meeting was chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and was attended by the Vice Minister himself, Director General Mr. Wang Hongxiang, and additional delegates. The Executive Director of PCI and PCI staff was also in attendance.
Offering insight into his mission of improving Pak-China relations, the Senator briefly introduced the organization and its team and shed light on the activities the institute has undertaken in order to fortify relations with China.
H.E. Mr. Chen acknowledged the Senator’s contribution towards enhancing bilateral ties between the two countries. He condemned the Peshawar Attack of 16th December and offered condolences for the deceased school children and their families as well as the entire Pakistan nation. He also observed that all the political parties in the country had reached a consensus in order that strong, decisive action could be taken against the terrorists.
In response to queries from the delegation, Senator Mushahid Hussain stated that there had been three significant consequences of the Peshawar Attack. The foremost was that the attack united the political forces on a one-point agenda to eradicate terrorism, take firm action against those who challenge the State and eliminate them.
Secondly, there would now be better coordination between the Pakistan military and the Government. “In my view, everyone has to be on one page in order to achieve common objectives,” he said.
Thirdly, the Senator explained that the situation had also opened up the possibility of better and close coordination between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He also shared details of the National Action Plan Committee (NAPC), of which Senator is a member himself, which had been formed to devise a plan to deal with the terrorist threat. He further assured the delegation that the Committee would have its proposals ready by the end of the week and the implementation phase would begin immediately.
The Senator emphasized that China had a very important diplomatic role to play in Af-Pak relations. Pakistan and China together, being strategic partners and victims of terrorism, had a significant role to play in this regard, he said, adding that the security and political environment in the country would be conducive in 2015 to host the Chinese President, H.E. Xi Jinping on a visit that was cancelled earlier.
The Senator reiterated the military’s strong resolve to take on the terrorists. He also emphasized the need for a counter narrative to be built and spread through the media.
The Vice Minister also inquired about the future of democracy in Pakistan to which the Senator assured him that the civilian government would continue to function. However, he opined, a power sharing formula would have to be adopted. He noted that the military remained the most popular institution of the country, according to a recent survey, and politicians would need to work in collaboration with it. “The Military leadership of Pakistan is professional and is looking forward to working in close coordination with the civilian leadership,” he stated
Vice Minister Chen lauded Senator Mushahid’s efforts in developing consensus among the political parties of Pakistan as well as in playing a role in bridging the gap between the military and civil society to combat terrorism and extremism in the country.
Towards the end, both sides renewed their resolve to work together and Senator Mushahid presented the Vice Minister with a memento to commemorate his visit to the Pakistan-China Institute.