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By APD writer Muhammad Sohail
ISLAMABAD, June 24 (APD) -- Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi on Saturday reached Pakistan in a bid to diffuse ongoing and rising tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, especially in the aftermath of recent terror attacks, official sources said.
On his arrival, Yi was warmly welcomed by Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province Shahbaz Sharif at the Noor Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, a neighboring garrison city of Pakistani capital Islamabad.
An official from Pakistan’s foreign office told APD that Pakistani gov’t is taking this tour at high notes as I is the first time that a Chinese minister will mediate between the two uneasy neighbors.
According to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, Yi will hold meetings with Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
Local observes are taking Yi’s visit as crucial and useful for the regional peace, especially beneficial for the attempts to sooth deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A senior official at Pakistan’s foreign ministry expressed last month that China was concerned about peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan for the sake of friendship and development in the two countries.
“As being true friend, they (Chinese) naturally want peace in Pakistan. They have always been helpful and we believe they can share our efforts to defuse tension with Afghanistan,” the official said.
Pakistan has been in talks with Kabul to settle differences to achieve the goal of peace, but Afghan gov’t blame Pakistan for facilitating or not taking action against militants’ sanctuaries after recent summer attacks by Taliban across Afghanistan.
Pakistan rubbished the allegations by calling upon Afghanistan to look inwards instead of pointing fingers at others.
Currently, Pakistan’s main agenda is to seek cooperation from Afghanistan over border management to stop infiltration of terrorists from Afghanistan.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
