DipanjanRoy Chaudhury

Difficult option Keeping his key election promise of ‘total end to corruption’ might impact Islamabad’s ties with Beijing
Any effort to expose ministers of the Sharif govt may not go down well with Beijing. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will find it extremely challenging to keep his key election promise of “total end to corruption” as such a stand might impact its relations with China, arguably Islamabad’s closest ally, some experts have alleged.

That is because any effort to expose leaders and ministers of the previous Nawaz Sharif government who have allegedly benefitted from the China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor (CPEC) may not go down well with Beijing.

Khan may find it difficult to confront China on commissions allegedly made to previous regime for CPEC projects, said analysts who have been following Khan’s election promise to deliver a transparent system and a “naya Pakistan”.

CPEC is a jewel of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The election manifesto of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) promised PTI transparency not only to all citizens, but also “a Pakistan that seeks friendly relations with all states on the basis of transparency, mutuality of interests and respect for sovereignty”.

Khan’s own party has already raised demands for details of the methods the previous government adopted when negotiating CPEC.

Senator Shibli Faraz of PTI has questioned the creation of a Pakistani Rs 22-billion power sector revolving fund as a special arrangement to make preferred payments to power producers and investors under CPEC.

The reason given was that China or any other country would not have invested in a debt-ridden power sector without a government bailout of sorts.

DipanjanRoy.Chaudhury@timesgroup.com

Courtesy: Economic Times: 20 Aug 2018