China hopes Pak, Afghan move to elevate ties will end their discord

Beijing, Jun 4 (PTI) China on Wednesday expressed hope that the recent elevation of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan will help enhance mutual trust between the two neighbours whose relations are marred by Islamabad’s allegations of militant groups operating from Afghan soil.

China welcomes the recent announcement and believes that this will help enhance mutual trust between Pakistan and Afghanistan, strengthen cooperation, and work together to safeguard peace and stability in the region, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.

China is ready to continue to play a constructive role in promoting better development of relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Lin told a media briefing here while replying to the questions about both countries elevating their diplomatic ties from Charge d’affairs to the Ambassadors-level.

Last month, China brokered peace between Afghanistan and Pakistan at an unofficial tripartite meeting of foreign ministers of the three countries to end the discord between Kabul and Islamabad over recurring militant attacks in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a meeting with Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar and the Taliban government's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on May 21 here during which Islamabad and Kabul agreed to step up their bilateral engagement by elevating their ties to Ambassadors-level.

The two countries subsequently elevated their Charge d’affairs diplomats to the level of Ambassadors, which is also regarded as a diplomatic gain for the interim Taliban government as it is yet to gain international recognition.

No country has formally recognised the Taliban, which seized power in 2021 after the previous Afghan government collapsed amid the withdrawal of the US and NATO forces.

Some countries, including China, the UAE and Russia, retained ambassadors-level diplomats in Kabul and their respective capitals.

Notably, relations between Pakistan and the Taliban, which in the past enjoyed the tacit backing of Islamabad for decades and operated from Pakistan territory while fighting the US forces, were strained over allegations that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group was using Afghan soil to launch attacks within Pakistani territory.

Kabul has denied the allegations.

The Pak-Afghan hostilities were exacerbated by Pakistan’s move to evict thousands of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, resulting in deep resentment among the people of Afghanistan.

Also, much to the chagrin of Pakistan, the Taliban government in recent months has improved its relations with India.

On May 16, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held telephone talks with Muttaqi, the highest-level contact between New Delhi and Kabul since the Taliban captured power in August 2021.

At the May 21 tripartite meeting, China said the three sides should deepen cooperation by promoting the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan and step up security cooperation.

China is also concerned by recurring attacks on its CPEC projects in Pakistan by militants of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) fighting for an independent state of Balochistan. PTI KJV ZH ZH