‘Pak, Afghan & Chinese officials to meet in Urumqi under trilateral mechanism’

Islamabad: Officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and China are meeting on Wednesday in the Chinese city of Urumqi under the trilateral mechanism, according to a media report.

It is the first high-level interaction between the two warring neighbours since Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against alleged terror hideouts in Afghanistan on February 26.

Quoting a senior Foreign Ministry official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitive nature of negotiations, Dawn reported that the meeting is not a “mediation effort per se”.

It said the meeting is focused on sharing perspectives on the latest escalation. No major outcomes are expected,

though China is pushing for confidence-building measures, such as reopening trade routes, it added.

Another official, familiar with the development, said Beijing requested Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who was in the

Chinese capital on Tuesday, for Pakistan’s participation as Kabul had asked for assistance from the Chinese in bringing Islamabad to the table.

He added that China also has concerns about the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) — a transnational terrorist outfit known to operate in Afghanistan.

“The Afghan side is showing willingness to walk the talk this time and has agreed to discuss a

verifiable mechanism on some of the key demands by Pakistan and China on TTP and ETIM,” the

official added.

He elaborated that these are “exploratory discussions” to gauge the seriousness of the Afghan side.

The Director General-level talks are being led by the Additional Secretary of the Afghan desk at the Foreign Office from the Pakistan side, he added.

The official further said that the diplomat was already present in China as he was accompanying the foreign minister.

“The Pakistan delegation also includes military and intelligence officials.”agencies