Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to explore comprehensive solution to conflict: China

Afghanistan brands China-hosted peace talks with Pakistan 'useful'

BEIJING: China’s Foreign Ministry said that Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed during peace talks in Urumqi to explore a comprehensive solution to the conflict that broke out between the two countries last October.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press briefing that both countries agreed at the meetings in China not to take actions that would escalate or complicate the situation. Mao added that China would continue to communicate with both countries and provide a platform for dialogue.

According to the spokeswoman, Afghanistan and Pakistan stated “their commitment to resolving their differences as soon as possible and realising a return to normalcy in bilateral relations, agreeing not to take any actions that would escalate or complicate the situation”.

Since Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan in late February, diplomatic contact between the two sides had largely ceased.

The talks in China were held under a trilateral mechanism as tensions between Islamabad and Kabul remain elevated following recent cross-border security developments.

On April 2, FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during a weekly briefing that while Pakistan was holding talks with Afghanistan to end the conflict, Kabul must “demonstrate visible and verifiable actions”.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the official negotiations between the Afghan and Pakistani delegations in Urumqi, China, were conducted in a constructive and collaborative environment. According to the ministry’s press release, the discussions comprehensively addressed bilateral relations, security concerns, and issues pertaining to regional stability.

It further emphasised that the country appreciated China’s hosting and demonstrated goodwill, expressing hope that this process would foster trust, strengthen sustainable relations, enhance mutual understanding and promote effective cooperation.