ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the current situation is going towards a new Cold War and blocs are forming.

Addressing the inaugural session of Islamabad Conclave 2021, which had the theme "Peaceful and Prosperous South Asia" in Islamabad on Thursday, the PM said Pakistan wants to unite people and does not want to be a part of any political bloc.

"Pakistan needs to try to stop these blocs from forming because we do not want to become a part of any bloc," the PM said. He continued that the earlier Cold War between the US and the then Soviet Union had caused great loss to the world adding that Pakistan does not want to get trapped in a new one.

"We want to unite people. Like we made efforts in cooling the stand-off between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both countries appreciated that Pakistan tried its best during a very critical phase where conflict could have occurred between them."

Similarly, the PM added, Pakistan wants to play role in reducing distances between China and US.

His statement comes as the US did not invite China and Russia to Summit for Democracy called by United States President Joe Biden. It instead invited Taiwan. However, Pakistan has declined to participate in the summit expressing its readiness to engage on the subject with Washington at an “opportune” time in the future.

"We value our partnership with the US which we wish to expand both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation. We remain in contact with the US on a range of issues and believe that we can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future," Foreign Office said.

Meanwhile, the PM said that the major issue of the region includes Afghanistan, which can only be resolved through dialogue. He urged the world leaders to play their role in averting the impending humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan by releasing their frozen assets.

"These assets are linked with saving the lives of 40 million Afghan people, who have been suffering since so long," the PM said.

He continued that peace in Afghanistan was not only vital for the future of Pakistan but also for the Central Asian States.

This article was first published in Business Recorder on Dec 9, 2021.