PM Shehbaz sees off Belarusian President

ISLAMABAD: President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko on Wednesday departed after completing a three-day official visit to Pakistan.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif saw off the Belarusian president at the airport, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.

During the visit, the two leaders comprehensively reviewed the full range of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to deepening friendly ties between the two countries across political, trade, economic, cultural, social, and other areas.

The two sides signed fifteen important agreements and MOUs, including the Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation for the period 2025-2027. The road-map focuses on enhancing bilateral economic cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus.

A delegation of prominent Belarusian businessmen and investors also visited Pakistan along with the President Lukashenko, who had extensive meetings with Pakistani counterparts.

The prime minister also presented the Belarusian president with a photo album of his three-day visit.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar were also present on the occasion.

Listing economic losses the country faces due to violent protests by PTI, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for tough decisions to get the country rid of politics of chaos and agitation.

“We have to decide whether we save Pakistan or allow sit-ins to take place,” the prime minister said while addressing the federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

He said that tough decisions must be taken now through mutual consultation.

Due to the PTI demo, Shehbaz added that the businesses were shut as life in the twin cities — Islamabad and Rawalpindi — came to a halt. “Our stock exchange, which had crossed 99,000, plunged by over 4,000 points yesterday due to the riots,” he regretted. “The economy is facing a loss of Rs190 billion daily due to the protest.”

“We have two paths which we can take and it is obvious that we have to take the path of development and prosperity,” he maintained.

Recalling the time when the Imran Khan-founded party had staged a sit-in in 2014, PM Shehbaz said the rioters caused violence for 126 days at a time when the Chinese president had to visit the country. However, he added, the high-level visit was cancelled due to the PTI’s sit-in.

He said the rioters had again tried to create chaos ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the capital. “There was a wave of concern among our guests whether to visit Pakistan or not,” he said.

Regarding the Belarusian president’s visit to Pakistan, the prime minister said the two countries will sign agreements in January.

The premier said that had the courts given strict punishment to the criminals of May 9, we would not have seen this day. “We have to decide after much deliberation and think about which direction we need to take,” he added.

Shehbaz added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is facing terrorism, adding that dozens of people were martyred in the Kurram clashes.

The KP government should have resolved the Parachinar and Kurram issues but they attacked Islamabad using government resources, he said, adding that the PTI demo was not a movement but incitement and there is no room for such politics.

This is a conspiracy and it must be ended at all costs, he said, adding that the government will break the ‘hand that wants to sacrifice Pakistan’. Staff Report