ISLAMABAD:
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is scheduled to travel to Beijing on Monday (today) in what appears to be a hastily arranged visit following the recent four-day military confrontation between Pakistan and India.
China lent unwavering support to Pakistan when India launched missile strikes targeting Pakistani civilians under the garb of eliminating so-called terror camps. It is widely believed that China worked closely with Pakistan throughout the crisis, providing critical military as well as diplomatic support to deter India.
China publicly backed Pakistan and sent a clear message that it supports Islamabad to safeguard its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The four-day conflict proved immensely beneficial for China, whose J-10C fighter jets and PL-15 missiles helped Pakistan down six Indian fighter jets, including highly-advanced French made Rafale.
This marked the first real-world combat test of Chinese military technology against Western systems, and the performance of Chinese platforms is expected to boost their global appeal. Analysts anticipate a significant uptick in export orders for Chinese fighter jets and other defense equipment as a result.
A Foreign Office statement issued here on Sunday said that Foreign Minister Dar would travel to Beijing at the invitation of Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi.
During the visit, Dar will hold in-depth discussions with Wang on the evolving regional situation in South Asia and its implications for peace and stability, according to the statement. The two sides will also review the entire spectrum of Pakistan-China bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.
The visit forms part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China. It also underscores the two countries’ shared commitment to further “strengthen the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army said ceasefire brokered by the United States has no expiry date. “No DGMO talks are scheduled today (Sunday). As far as the continuation of a break in hostilities as decided in the DGMOs interaction of 12th May is concerned, there is no expiry date to it,” the Indian army said.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Dar told the Senate that Pakistan and India agreed to maintain ceasefire till May 18. Some interpreted his statement as if both sides might return to hostilities. The Foreign Office, however, clarified that both sides agreed to a “mechanism for phased de-escalation.”
The Foreign Office spokesperson termed ceasefire between Pakistan and India as positive development, saying that Islamabad remained committed to the truce. It is expected the DGMOS of Pakistan and India would have next round of talks on Tuesday (tomorrow) to further consolidate the ceasefire.
Sources said notwithstanding the belligerent statements by Indian leaders, the Indian army was sending positive signals to maintain the ceasefire.
