NEW DELHI (TIP): The recent India-US pact to share their military bases for repair and resupply is anti-Pakistan, meant to counter the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor+ (CPEC) and, in fact, against the Muslim world, declared Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed+ on Wednesday, ANI reported.

Given these things, it’s only logical China and Pakistan get even closer, the terrorist said.

“The US has issues with China, India has issues with Pakistan. The interest of both (China and Pakistan) has become one because of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor+ ),” said Saeed, founder of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Mumbai blasts mastermind.

Just yesterday, Pakistan’s army chief Raheel Sharif said the security and timely completion of CPEC – that goes through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir – is Pakistan’s “national duty, and no power will be allowed to disrupt it.” China is building the corridor+ that will cost a whopping $46 billion. It is considered to be an extension of China’s ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative.

The India-US pact facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a framework to govern them. And the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners.

Analysts have said that US would like to use the pact to counter China’s growing military might – particularly airbases – in the South China Sea. Countering terrorism, a prime objective of the US and India, will also be facilitated by the pact, analysts added.

Having the pact “makes it much simpler for American naval and air forces to fight there. The US does not have actual bases in India. But, it has the next best thing – a simple way to use India’s bases,” Forbes magazine said in an editorial. (ANI)