- Pakistan, China agree that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict: Khawaja Asif
BEIJING, September 8: Pakistan and China have agreed to work together for defence and regional security, sources reported.
The understanding came during wide-ranging talks between Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday.
Later, at a joint talk with media, Pakistani Foreign Minister said the two countries agreed that solution of the Afghan problem has to be fundamentally political and that there is no military solution to the conflict.
Referring to the US policy on Afghanistan and South Asia, Khawaja Asif said peace and stability in Afghanistan remains critical for peace and security of the region. He said it is our firm view that focus should be on politically-negotiated settlement of the Afghan conflict.
He said China is playing a constructive role in this regard and together Pakistan and China can contribute to a political solution of Afghan problem.
The Minister said Pakistan and China have close counter terrorism cooperation and Pakistan shares Beijing’s strong position on three evils of terrorism, extremism and separatism.
He said Pakistan’s comprehensive and all out law-enforcement actions under Zarb-e-Azb and Raddul Fasaad against all terrorist groups including East Turkistan Islamic Movement have yielded positive results. He expressed Pakistan’s gratitude to China for unflinching support in counter-terrorist efforts.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Pakistan and China stand together in the changing regional and global scenario.
He said peace in Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan, China and the entire region.
He said China would cooperate with Pakistan in defence and regional stability.
He said first trilateral meeting between Pakistan, China and Afghanistan will be held in China before the end of this year to encompassing strategic communication, security dialogue and practical cooperation.-Agencies
