PM Imran Khan should not have reacted in public against EU: Finance Minister

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan should not have reacted in public against the European Union over a ”statement” asking Pakistan to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

”He (Khan) just reacted publicly, which may be, he should not have done,” the Tarin said while talking to the media.

He said the EU envoys should not tell Pakistan what to do and Khan has the right to protect the prestige of Pakistan.

However, the minister rejected the idea that the public bashing of the EU would have any negative fallout on relations with Pakistan.

In a recent speech, Prime Minister Khan lashed out at the EU ambassadors for their ”undiplomatic” statement asking Pakistan to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and stand by the rest of the world in the United Nations against Moscow.

”Has anyone of you severed trade relations with India or objected to its unlawful actions,” Khan asked EU representatives during a rally in Vehari. “Are we slaves and act according to your wishes.” The Foreign Office has already expressed its concern over the EU statement.

”We took note of that and in a subsequent meeting with a group of ambassadors, we expressed our concern about that because it was not the way diplomacy should be practiced,” it said.

Taking about economic development, Tarin said that the government had discussed with China their investment plans. ”We sought their support in sectors including industries, agriculture, IT sector and trade,” he said.

Tarin said Pakistan cannot make progress without industrialization and pointed out that the government had asked China to commence various projects under the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

He expressed satisfaction over economic progress and said things were moving in the right direction and foreign investors were considerably satisfied with measures taken by the government for ease of doing business.