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When Pak army chief met Xi Jinping in Beijing

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Here’s what’s happening across the border: Saudi Arabia had no role in influencing Sharif family release, says Pak minister; Imran Khan opens up on his decision to choose politics as a career

Army chief meets Chinese President Xi Jinping

Pakistan’s chief of army staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa, on a three-day visit to China, met Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday and discussed matters of regional security, Dawn reported. Earlier, Bajwa met his counterpart, Chief General Han Weiguo, Monday, and held talks on the lines of security.

Xi recognised Pakistan as a “time-tested friend” and acknowledged the Pakistan army’s role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

The Chinese President also added that opposition to the CPEC and BRI projects would not “succeed as this is an initiative of peace and development not only for China but for [the] region and beyond”. General Bajwa in return assured Xi that that the “Pakistan Army would ensure the security of CPEC at all costs”.

Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the third official partner

Pakistan’s information minister Fawad Chaudhary Thursday announced that Saudi Arabia is set to become part of the mega-infrastructure project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as the third major partner, The Express Tribune reported.

“A high-level delegation led by Saudi energy minister will visit Pakistan during the first week of October for talks on the CPEC and other issues,” Chaudhary was quoted saying.

The minister was part of the delegation of high-level Pakistani officials who accompanied prime minister Imran Khan during his recently concluded trip to Saudi Arabia and UAE.

The step is being seen as a way out that might help Pakistan tide over its current economic crisis. This development has come just days after Pakistan and China urged friendly countries to make investments in the CPEC project.

Chinese firm offers to develop Balochistan’s mineral sector

A research and investment company from China, MCC Tongsin Resources, has expressed interest in developing the mineral sector of Balochistan, Dawn has reported.

In the meeting with the province’s chief minister, Jam Mir Kamal Khan, the company’s president, Wang Jincheng, presented the offer of exploring the region’s natural province. He was quoted as saying, “Our company has been working on exploring minerals in various countries and owns assets worth $50 billion worldwide”.

The chief minister said the company’s interest in the project indicated that relations between Pakistan and China were strengthening even more.

Saudi had nothing to do with Sharifs’ release, says Pak minister

Information minister Fawad Chaudhary Thursday quashed rumours that Saudi Arabia played a role in the release of the Sharif family , arguing that the former premier was “not important enough for either country to make a deal over”, The Nation reported.

The minister further said that the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government had no “personal differences” with Nawaz Sharif and his party PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz). He added the government will “send Nawaz back from where he came”. In this regard, Chaudhary pledged that the PTI government will not let the convicted trio to leave Pakistan.

Media speculation about an “underhand deal” in Saudi Arabia for the release of the Sharifs stem from the incident in 2000 when Nawaz Sharif was exiled to Saudi Arabia by the then President General Pervez Musharraf. PML-N back then disclosed that it was a member from the Saudi royal family who through a “humanitarian gesture” had negotiated Nawaz’s release from a jail in Pakistan.

Imran Khan recalls his ambitions as a young man in Saudi interview

Prime minister Imran Khan has said that he dreamt big even when he was still an ordinary man but back then struggled to fulfil his ambitions. He said this in his first-ever international media interview to Saudi Arabia’s English Daily Saudi Gazette, The News International reported. The prime minister recently concluded his first international visit to the kingdom.

Khan also added that “each time there was a setback in my life I learnt from my bad time because failure is the best teacher”.

Recalling further, Imran said that his mother’s death due to cancer led him to build a cancer hospital and subsequently ponder on the Pakistan of his dreams.

He also said that he chose to join politics as he felt Pakistan was not heading towards the direction of what its leaders such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah had thought off. He said, “22 years of struggle in politics and here I have an opportunity now to fulfill my dream,” which is that of ensuring an “Islamic welfare state”.

US mulls restarting $300 million aid to Pakistan

Weeks after US Secretary Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pakistan, President Donald Trump is considering restoring a $300 million military fund to Pakistan, reported Samaa TV.

On 2 September, the US military had announced that it was cutting funds to Pakistan as it claimed, the country had failed to curb terrorism.

According to a Washington Post report, after Imran Khan came to power, some of Trump’s advisers are arguing to restart the military aid as well as “resetting” the bilateral ties between both the countries.

Even, Pompeo in his last visit expressed US’s eagerness to improve the US-Pak relations. “We’ve still got a long way to go, lots more discussion to be had, but the relationship military-to-military is one that has remained in a place where some of the other relationships haven’t, frankly,” he had said.

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