ISLAMABAD: President of the Centre for China and Globalisation, Dr Victor Gao, on Tuesday expressed hope that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir could one day earn or share the Nobel Peace Prize if they continued on what he described as the "right direction" to bring peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond.

"I want to place a bet. If the prime minister of Pakistan and the field marshal of Pakistan continue to work in the right direction, I hope they will earn or share a Nobel Peace Prize. That's my best wish," Gao said while addressing a seminar in Islamabad on the Indus Waters Treaty.

He also reaffirmed China's commitment to Pakistan, saying no one should doubt Beijing's resolve to safeguard Pakistan's fundamental interests.

"No one in this part of the world should second-guess China's commitment to defend the fundamental interests of Pakistan, especially including Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

Referring to the Indus River, Gao said Pakistan had the right to the free flow of water and linked the issue to the ongoing debate over the Indus Waters Treaty.

Commenting on remarks attributed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about stopping water flows to Pakistan, Gao said he had previously stated in an interview with an Indian television channel that threatening to halt water supplies to a downstream country during peacetime would amount to "a crime against humanity."

He added that stopping water to hundreds of millions of people during wartime would constitute "a war crime" and said he had urged India not to take such a course.

Gao further argued that India was "not exactly the upstream nation" on the Indus River, noting that the river and several of its tributaries originate in the Himalayas.

Invoking a saying attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, Gao said, "Don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you," adding that he had repeated the message several times during his television interview.

He said China and Pakistan, while respecting each other, could work together to ensure that their interests are safeguarded.

Dr Victor Gao

Pakistan PM, field marshal may win Nobel for peace efforts: Victor Gao