Islamabad is expecting New Delhi to play a “constructive role” in Afghanistan through its engagement with the Taliban regime, Pakistan’s ambassador to China has said.
Speaking to Chinese state media, ambassador Moin ul Haque said that “they (Pakistan) expect India to play a positive and constructive role” in Afghanistan.
“In the past, India has acted as a spoiler and worked against peace in Afghanistan,” claimed Haque in an interview with the tabloid Global Times published online on Tuesday night.
He was responding to a question on what he thought about India’s engagement with the Taliban, which swept to power in mid-August while western forces were pulling out of Afghanistan.
“In fact, any effort of the regional countries should be aimed at stabilising the situation with a view to ease the sufferings of the Afghan people,” he said.
Haque said Beijing and Islamabad were closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and also coordinating policies.
He went on to make a case for China’s increased presence in the country.
“China has already expressed its desire to assist the people of Afghanistan with humanitarian assistance and in rebuilding their war-torn country. China has also emerged as the biggest contributor to the global Covid-19 vaccination effort,” he said, pointing out that Afghanistan has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the world and could benefit from further Chinese assistance.
Haque said both Pakistan and China want to see an early political settlement and formation of an inclusive and broad-based government in Kabul.
“Pakistan and China have been calling on the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghan people. We expect that no country is harmed by terrorist organisations and groups operating in Afghanistan,” he said.
Asked about plans to fight terror, Haque said the two countries have robust defence and counterterrorism cooperation.
Pakistan remains “cognizant of the threat posed by terrorist organisations, including TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan), Daesh (Islamic State), ETIM (East Turkestan Islamic Movement) and others operating from Afghanistan”, he said.
“We continue to work through existing mechanisms to build capacities, share intelligence, and coordinate our efforts. In view of the emerging challenges and threats, the two countries would enhance and strengthen the existing cooperation and coordination,” the Pakistani diplomat said.
China’s state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi had a conversation with Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the situation in Afghanistan, including support for the country to fight terrorism and improving communication with the Taliban to ensure safety of Chinese and Pakistani personnel and institutions.
Haque said China and Pakistan were also discussing the situation in Afghanistan with other regional countries to ensure peace and stability.
