Islamabad: Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to the US and China, Sardar Masood Khan, has cautioned that India’s recent outreach to Beijing could be an attempt to create mistrust in Pakistan-China relations, which are built on long-standing confidence and cooperation.
In interviews with various television channels following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Sardar Masood Khan said Pakistan must remain vigilant as India has historically sought to harm Pakistan wherever it has gained influence, whether in Moscow, Washington, Brussels, or Beijing.
He recalled that whenever Pakistan and China advanced their strategic partnership, India grew uneasy. Now, after failing to gain significant recognition in Washington, New Delhi is looking toward Beijing. Even if it secures temporary access, India will attempt to undermine the trust between Pakistan and China.
Drawing on his diplomatic experience, he noted that despite tensions between India and China, Indian officials have often lobbied Chinese financial institutions, including the Bank of China, to discourage cooperation with Pakistan’s development projects. India has also tried to block Chinese investment in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir by labeling them as disputed territories and has made similar efforts to influence the Asian Development Bank and the IMF against Pakistan.
Sardar Masood Khan described Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address at the SCO summit as timely and significant, highlighting three key issues: India’s illegal suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, the rising incidents of terrorism in Pakistan, and appreciation of China’s constructive role in Afghanistan. He said drawing global attention to these matters was in Pakistan’s national interest.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s decision not to directly name India regarding terrorism, he explained that Pakistan has already provided evidence of Indian involvement to the United Nations and major world capitals. Since the SCO operates on consensus, the Prime Minister appropriately referred to terrorist attacks such as the Jaffer Express tragedy in Balochistan and incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without naming India, though world leaders are well aware of the network behind them.
He stressed that Pakistan-China relations are a guarantor of peace, stability, and development for the entire region. Pakistan, he said, must strengthen internal unity and deepen its trust and partnership with China to foil India’s designs. At the same time, he urged Pakistan to counter India’s use of water as a weapon by building small reservoirs to harness natural resources for irrigation and energy production.
