SUKKUR: Speakers at a conference on Pakistan-China friendship said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto laid the foundation of friendship between the two countries in 1963 and then every succeeding government put in its share to further strengthen it while China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was in fact culmination of this timetested, all-weather friendship.

PML-N`s central leader Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said at the programme held at the Institute of Business Administration University here on Thursday that CPEC was a programme for a prosperous Pakistan.

He expressed gratitude to the Chinese government and its people for supporting Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir and said that credit went to Z.A. Bhutto for extending hand of friendship to China. PML-N`s Mian Nawaz Sharif, co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese President Xi Jinping were founders of this project, he said.He said the CPEC project would help the country overcome its energy crisis and Gwadar port would open doors to prosperity. China had always stood by Pakistan in its difficult times and when Modi government annexed Kashmir it was once again China who supported Pakistan`s stance, he said.

He said that CPEC had created jobs for 70,000 Pakistanis while more than 29,000 male and female students were getting education in China. As the CPEC programme moved ahead, problems of Pakistani people would gradually get resolved as the project was a message of cooperation for a prosperous and developed Pakistan, he said.

PPP`s senior leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that friendship between the two countries was higher than Himalayas, deeper than sea and sweeter than honey. `We are thankful to China for helping Pakistan in its difficult times,` he said.

He said that if they wanted to truly appreciate the friendship they would also have to search out their own mistakes and failures and identify reasons thathad kept Pakistanfar behind anddependent on loans.

He said that perhaps the most serious problem the country faced was its growing population.

`But we have no awareness of its gravity. We are only pulling each other`s legs and passing the buck. We failed to provide education to 50 per cent children of the country because of shortage of resources,` he said.

He asked for how long could one continue friendship with paupers. `We have to give it deep thought ... until when will we continue to extend our hands for financial help?` he said.

He said that Chinese investment in CPEC had 1(indled hopes for prosperity. All governments continued this project but the credit went to Nawaz Sharif who had said at the time of laying foundation stone for Sul(kurMultan section of Motorway that it was a gift for the people of Sukkur and Khursheed Ahmed Shah, he said.

PPP Sindh president and adviser to Sindh chief minister Nisar Khuhro said that no power of the world could snatch from Z.A. Bhutto the credit for founding Pak-China friendship.