Pakistan, China jointly call on Afghan authorities to act against terrorist organisations: Pak envoy

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi has said Islamabad and Beijing have jointly called on the Afghan authorities not to allow its soil to be used against any third country and verifiably act against terrorist organisations present on their soil.

Speaking in Pakistan TV’s show ‘Beyond Borders’, Ambassador Hashmi said the situation was serious due to Afghan authorities’ inability or unwillingness to act against the TTP and other terrorist organisations based in Afghanistan.

Both Pakistan and China want the authorities in Afghanistan to act decisively against them [terror groups] and prevent them from undertaking terrorist activities in any country, he added.

The ambassador said Pakistan-China collaboration in the security realm was very robust and “we have several mechanisms to promote it and further enhance it”.

He said on counterterrorism, Pakistan and China had dialogue mechanisms, signed MOUs and agreements to deepen cooperation, conduct joint exercises, exchange views, and also collaborate and cooperate on multilateral platforms.

On bilateral relations, Ambassador Hashmi said the joint communique issued after the recent meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks about the enduring nature of the relationship between the two countries, which is based on mutual strategic trust, respect and support.

“This meeting was very significant in the sense that it came after less than five months of the previous round of strategic dialogue,” he said, adding that it was also the first meeting between the Chinese foreign minister and Pakistani deputy prime minister within the first week of the new year.

The ambassador further said the meeting was also significant as Pakistan and China were going to celebrate 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year, and in this context, both sides had started joint celebratory activities, such as inauguration of a logo and holding of a joint exhibition of historic photographs.

“But more specifically, I think both sides have agreed to inject fresh momentum into trade, economic and other practical cooperation, including the Karakoram Highway realignment project and many others,” he added.

Ambassador Hashmi said both countries had also agreed to work on the implementation of the action plan that was signed last year during the visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China.

“So all in all, we are committed to taking our relationship and our friendship forward and take it to new heights in the New Year,” he added.

Ambassador Hashmi said Pakistan and China attached great importance to respect for international law, the UN Charter and opposition to unilateral actions, adding that these principles applied equally to Pakistan’s core issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.

He also criticised India’s unilateral move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, calling it illegal and contrary to international law.

The envoy went on to say that Pakistan had consistently expressed firm support for China’s core interests, including Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, saying this mutual backing reflected a high degree of strategic trust and support between the two countries.

“And that kind of mutual trust, mutual support will continue for all times to come,” he added.

Ambassador Hashmi said Pakistan and China were committed to building the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor with high priority areas being mining, agriculture, industry, ICT and human resource development.

He said both sides had decided to align phase two of CPEC with Pakistan's Uraan programme.