China helped Pakistan through difficult times, says PM Imran.

ISLAMABAD -- Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday roundly rejected the notion being projected by US officials that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is some sort of a debt trap for Pakistan.

In an interview with American media outlet CNBC, PM Imran said: 'Pakistan is grateful to China as they helped us in difficult times by making investments."

"We were at rock bottom when the Chinese [government] came and rescued us," the PM said. Responding to a question, the prime minister rejected the impression that CPEC has made Pakistan 'indebted' to China.

He pointed out that Chinese loans account for only 5-6 per cent of Pakistan's total loan portfolio. "CPEC envisages cooperation in different sectors, including technology transfer in the agriculture sector," he said.

"...because of Chinese investment, we have been able to attract more foreign investment in the country. We are establishing special economic zones under the project," he added.

In the same interview, PM Imran also called upon US President Donald Trump and the United Nations to intervene for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

"India has been taken over by the extremist Hindutva ideology embodied by the far-right party RSS, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a life-time member of this extremist outfit," he said.

Referring to the situation in occupied Kashmir, he said eight million people have been living under siege since August 5 last year. "The Indian forces have picked up thousands of Kashmiri teenagers and arrested all their political leaders," he noted.

The premier described it as a serious situation and warned that the friction could potentially spill over into a conflict between two nuclear-armed countries.

When asked about tensions in the Middle East and the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran, the prime minister said war is not a solution to any problem.

He warned that a conflict with Iran will be disastrous for developing countries as it will lead to...