Days after ex-foreign minister Asad Umar stepped down, Chinese Ambassador Lijian Zhao has termed Umar a 'man of integrity' who always 'speaks the truth'.
Zhao shared a clip of Umar's interview with BBC in which the ex-foreign minister had criticised Western powers of questioning Pakistan's relationship with Saudi Arabia and China.
In response to a question regarding the Trump administration's reservations over a bailout package by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Pakistan, Umar suggested that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 'should worry about his China debt problem'.
https://twitter.com/zlj517/status/1120041838512046080
"Maybe the western leaders should be ashamed of themselves for talking about democracy and freedom and then reaching out to some Saudi pockets to take out billions of dollars of business deals," Umar had said.
"Donald Trump said he was getting too much business out of Saudi Arabia to worry about what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the ex-FM told the BBC, adding that Pakistan was staying consistent over the country's bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and China.
Asad Umar stepped down as finance minister last Thursday.
The minister said that he was offered the energy portfolio but refused to accept it saying that he has received Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consent to not take any cabinet position.
“As part of a cabinet reshuffle PM desired that I take the energy minister portfolio instead of finance. However, I have obtained his consent to not take any cabinet position. I strongly believe Imran Khan is the best hope for Pakistan and InshAllah will make a Naya Pakistan,” he said.
Following his resignation, several others cabinet ministers were replaced.
Zhao shared a clip of Umar's interview with BBC in which the ex-foreign minister had criticised Western powers of questioning Pakistan's relationship with Saudi Arabia and China.
In response to a question regarding the Trump administration's reservations over a bailout package by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Pakistan, Umar suggested that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo 'should worry about his China debt problem'.
https://twitter.com/zlj517/status/1120041838512046080
"Maybe the western leaders should be ashamed of themselves for talking about democracy and freedom and then reaching out to some Saudi pockets to take out billions of dollars of business deals," Umar had said.
"Donald Trump said he was getting too much business out of Saudi Arabia to worry about what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the ex-FM told the BBC, adding that Pakistan was staying consistent over the country's bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and China.
Asad Umar stepped down as finance minister last Thursday.
The minister said that he was offered the energy portfolio but refused to accept it saying that he has received Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consent to not take any cabinet position.
“As part of a cabinet reshuffle PM desired that I take the energy minister portfolio instead of finance. However, I have obtained his consent to not take any cabinet position. I strongly believe Imran Khan is the best hope for Pakistan and InshAllah will make a Naya Pakistan,” he said.
Following his resignation, several others cabinet ministers were replaced.