Indo-US pact against CPEC, Pakistan: Hafiz Saeed

Hafiz Saeed, founder of the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), on Wednesday said the new pact between India and America against the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is against the Muslim world and bulwark Pakistan.

Asserting that the consensus between New Delhi and Washington D.C. is "frightening", Saeed said, "The mutual consent of the two nations against the CPEC hints preparation of a terrifying war."

"The new pact between India and America is against Pakistan, against CPEC; in fact, I believe it is against the Muslim world and its bulwark Pakistan. This is a very frightening pact. What America could not achieve while being in Afghanistan, where it faced a dishonourable defeat, it is now trying to complete its mission from India. It (U.S.) believes that since Afghanistan was a country of Muslims, they could not achieve their targets while being inside the country, all they could do was spreading terrorism and unrest across Pakistan," said Saeed.

"America's issue is China; India's issue is Pakistan. The interest of both has become one, because of CPEC. This is the basis of their new pact. This is the preparation of a terrifying war," he added.

Addressing a seminar on the 51st Defence Day of Pakistan, Saeed said, "India and America are worried that if the CPEC project succeeded, the entire Muslim world would stand beside Pakistan. And, the (resultant) new defence and economic pacts that will take place will oust America not only from this region and the Middle East, but from all important places and waters of the world. America will have to get out of all these places. That is why today the biggest hurdle before them is Pakistan."

During the bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of G20 summit in Hangzhou, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised India's concern over the CPEC, saying the two countries need to be "sensitive" to each other's strategic interests.

Emphasising that the fight against terror should not be motivated by "political considerations", Prime Minister Modi said it is of paramount importance that both countries respect each other's aspirations, concerns and strategic interests.