KABUL:
A trilateral meeting amongst Pakistan-Afghanistan and China on Saturday agreed on regional realignment and extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project to Afghanistan.
It was also agreed on the strategic front that Indian influence in Afghanistan would be limited to diplomatic missions, if the alignment worked in a proper manner, sources said.
The decisionsconfirmed after a closed-door meeting among Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, China’s special envoy Yue Xiaoyong, and Pakistan’s Special Representative Mohammad Sadiq — signal a bold move toward regional realignment.
Sources said the Afghan Taliban have silently supported Islamabad’s stance on the neutral investigation of the April 22 Pahalgam incident and would keep their distance from the Indian club.
After multiple meetings including one-on-one meetings on Friday night and Saturday, it was decided that the Afghan Taliban will host the sixth round of trilateral foreign ministers’ talks with China and Pakistan in Kabul.
These will be the first high-level negotiations to take place under the Taliban’s leadership, source added.
China and Pakistan also greenlighted support for deeper political and economic cooperation with Afghanistan while sidelining Western influence in South and Central Asia.
Sources said China would support the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan politically and economically which will also be connected with regional countries through road links.
As part of the ongoing trilateral engagements, Pakistan’s special envoy joined the Chinese special representative in a meeting with Afghan Commerce Minister Azizi.
The special envoy termed the meetings as constructive and helpful in strengthening trade and economic cooperation. The three sides agreed to build on the understandings from the May 2023 FM-level trilateral in Islamabad, especially on extending CPEC to Afghanistan.
The trip of Pakistan’s special envoy was aimed at gaining support from neighboring countries on Pakistan-India conflict, regional connection on Chinese initiatives, and on wiping out terrorist group IS-KP from Afghan soil, sources added.
In a post on X, Ambassador Sadiq noted that the first trilateral Pakistan-China-Afghanistan meeting provided an opportunity for convergence of views on economic and security cooperation as well as regional stability.
