ISLAMABAD - Pakistan needs to hold on to its perpetual friend China amid tensions with India and Afghanistan, senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Senator Sherry Rehman said Wednesday.

She said that the government’s failure to resolve differences among the provinces over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was annoying Beijing.

Addressing a news conference here, the PPP vice president said that the government must implement the resolution on the CPEC passed by a multi-party conference.

“Pakistan should not let China also leave it. Islamabad must focus on the friendly neighbour. The government’s indifferent attitude towards the CPEC is definitely causing annoyance for everyone and China is also concerned,” she said.

The legislator said the PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari had always been active to evolve consensus.

“They should learn it from him. They take credit for the CPEC despite our efforts behind it but they should at least talk to the parties who have differences,” she emphasised.

Senator Rehman said that the government should appoint a full-time foreign minister to remain in contact with the neighbours and the world.

“Their failed foreign policy has been exposed in India [at the Heart of Asia conference]. We received a bashing and returned home,” she said, citing Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s outburst against Pakistan.

Since assuming power in 2013, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has kept the foreign affairs portfolio with himself but is assisted by Adviser Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi.

There have been persistent demands by the opposition parties to appoint a full-time foreign minister.

Sherry Rehman said the government always tried to justify absence of a foreign minister by arguing that even the PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not appoint a foreign minister when he was the PM in the 1970s.

“If he is comparing himself to Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif should also try to be Bhutto. We have no doubt about Nawaz Sharif’s patriotism but if he becomes Bhutto the country will be on the path to success,” she said.

The PPP leader ridiculed the government for sharing details of Prime Minister Sharif’s telephonic conversation with the US President-elect Donald Trump.

“This was unprofessional. If they had a regular foreign minister, this would never have happened. They [the government representatives] say they had permission to share it but the permission is not to make the contents public and make Pakistan a laughingstock,” she said.

Asked, if the PM Sharif was on his way out, she said: “It depends largely on him. He has his fate in his [own] hands. We want democracy to survive.”

Senator Rehman said the PM had to present himself for accountability in order to clear his name.

“If he continues to avoid accountability, we will be forced to come to streets and launch a campaign,” she added.

Senator Rehman blasted the government’s “dictatorial attitude”, which was weakening the democratic system.

“The PPP gave sacrifices for democracy. Bhutto was hanged for democracy. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated for the same cause, and her opposition to extremism,” she contended.

Senator Rehman said the government did not have any evidence against Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav who was arrested several months ago.

“They are now telling the parliamentarians they don’t have any evidence. This is alarming,” she maintained.

Yadav was arrested in Balochistan on charges of spying for India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agency. India admitted he was a former navy officer but denied he was linked to the government at the time of his arrest in March this year.

The PPP lawmaker said that if the government had failed to complete dossier against Yadav, it would again be a joke for the world.

“They are seemingly dozing over the dossier,” she mocked.

She said the PPP would start a series of news conferences to awaken the “sleeping” government.

Rehman criticised the government for delaying reconstitution of the National Security Committee of the parliament.

“Why is there no oversight of the National Action Plan (NAP),” she added.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah said the Kashmir issue was being affected due to the prime minister’s decision of not appointing a full-time foreign minister.

Speaking to journalists here after inaugurating a signature campaign for the United Nations against Indian brutalities in Kashmir, he said: “Pakistan direly needs a foreign minister. Even Kashmir cause is suffering due to the prime minister’s decision to keep the portfolio with himself,” he said.

Shah said in the presence of a full-time foreign minister, “we would not have faced such an embarrassment at the “Heart of Asia” conference.”

He said a foreign minister had the recognition at the UN and he could better take up the Kashmir issue.

“Kashmir should be the centre of our parliamentary and public politics. Pakistan should take advantage of Donald Trump and Iran’s mediation offers,” he said.

He demanded of the UN to implement its resolution on Kashmir to stop the atrocities in the held territory.

On Panama leaks, Shah said: “we [politicians] have not handled this case well. We wanted to put it before the parliament. We want the parliament to be strong and supreme. Prime minister must present himself for accountability.”