PM Khan embarks on first visit to China amid unrest

Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting of federal cabinet in Islamabad on Thursday before he left for an official visit to China. (Photo courtesy: Govt of Pakistan/Twitter)

• Analysts say premier’s absence could make the situation even more volatile
• Protests by Islamist groups follow top court’s verdict to acquit woman on death row

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan left on a crucial visit to China on Thursday, even as the country continued to face widespread protests by far-right Islamist groups in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling acquitting a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was on death row for blasphemy.
Analysts warned that in the absence of a head of state, the situation may escalate further, especially after Khan issued a stern warning to agitators on Wednesday not to challenge the writ of the state. “It may create chaos and provide more space for radical elements since the central decision making authority will be absent from the country,” Qamar Cheema, a political analyst and an international relations expert, told Arab News.
However, analyst Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal disagreed, reasoning that the “law and order issue is a provincial subject” and that Khan “has already appointed a state minister for interior.” “He has to continue with his schedule,” Jaspal told Arab News. 
Khan’s trip, on the invitation of the Chinese leadership, is aimed at holding bilateral talks in Beijing and attending an exp in Shanghai. It was scheduled to begin on November 2, but was rescheduled due to the “inclusion of more engagements in China,” the Prime Minister’s Office told Arab News on Thursday.
During the course of his stay, the premier will meet with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang, with the two countries expected to review bilateral relations and sign several agreements in diverse fields. After his engagements in Beijing, Khan heads to Shanghai to participate in the First China International Import Expo where Pakistan is exhibiting a wide range of export products.
There, the prime minister will deliver a keynote speech at the inaugural session and meet other world leaders on the sidelines of the forum, while also interacting with members of China’s financial and corporate sector.
The country’s economy is in dire straits and any financial assistance from China may provide some much-needed relief to the current administration. Experts believe Khan will use his excursion to China to create a greater economic space for his administration which is also seeking a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 
“He will get a sufficient bailout from China as well which will put the economy back on track,” Cheema said, to which Jaspal added that the “Chinese may contribute in bailing out Pakistan in the current economic crisis.”
Any financial relief from China is likely to be seen as helpful by Khan’s administration since it will reduce the scale of its dependence on the IMF. Khan has already managed to ease the balance of payment pressure by securing a $6 billion bailout package from Saudi Arabia to stave off an economic crisis.