China steps up efforts to lower Pak-Afghan tensions

By Tahir Khan

ISLAMABAD: China is working to ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s interim government, according to Pakistani and Afghan officials after Beijing’s special envoy for Afghanistan held talks in Islamabad and Kabul.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s interim government are at the lowest ebb primarily over the issue of Pakistani armed groups that Islamabad says are operating from Afghan territory. The Taliban government, however, denies the presence of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) within Afghanistan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong travelled to Kabul last week after holding meetings with Pakistani officials in Islamabad.

“The focus of the Chinese special envoy was on bilateral relations but he also showed concerned at the tensions between Pakistan and our government,” an Afghan official, privy to the talks, told HUM News English.

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The Chinese special envoy met with senior Afghan leaders including Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, Defence minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

“The Chinese envoy has floated the idea of arranging a China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ dialogue in Beijing as part of reconciliation efforts,” the Afghan official said.

The official said that China had earlier suggested the tripartite meeting in Ashgabat on the sidelines of the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s Neighbouring States, however, this meeting was delayed.

The Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson did not respond to messages on the issue.

Days after the Chinese special envoy held talks with Taliban leaders including Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob, Pakistan’s head of mission in Kabul Ubaid ur Rehman Nizamani also met with Mullah Yaqoob.

The Afghan defence ministry had stated after the November 27 meeting that the acting Minister of National Defence mentioned that Pakistan and Afghanistan, being neighbouring countries, have “sturdy relations and ample of commonalities, considering pleasant proximity and mutual respects”.

He said the “Islamic Emirate” is ready for “a comprehensive cooperation in the fields of economic, trade and other common issues,” according to the Afghan defence ministry statement. The Taliban refer to their government as the Islamic Emirate.

“In exchange, the Pakistani ambassador emphasised the need to expand joint cooperation and reinforce bilateral relations,” the statement added.

During a weekly briefing, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, however, declined to comment when asked by journalists about Nizamani-Yaqoob meeting.

“Our diplomats regularly engage with officials of the Afghan interim government to discuss matters of mutual interest. The meeting between our head of mission in Kabul with the Afghan minister for defence was in this context, covering bilateral issues. I am not in a position to provide further details,” the spokesperson said on November 29.

Experts have recognised China’s efforts to lower Pakistan-Taliban tensions and also urged Pakistan to normalise relations with Afghanistan.

Pakistan-China Institute Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain said that China is actively promoting a trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Afghanistan and China as a bridge for normalising relations between Islamabad and Kabul.

“China has a three-pronged strategy towards Afghanistan, which, for the first time in 40 years, is different from Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy, which is a flawed and failed policy,” Senator Mushahid told HUM News English on Tuesday.

“For Pakistan, it is crucial to pursue a course correction by resetting its regional foreign policy, normalizing ties with Afghanistan, and recognizing that the path to peace and security in Pakistan runs through China. Beijing now wields more influence in Kabul than Islamabad,” he said.

He said that China, after de facto recognition of Afghan Taliban earlier this year, seeks a triangular approach of engagement, reconstruction and peace through counter-terrorism strategy to curb and contain terror groups operating inside Afghanistan like ETIM, ISKP and TTP, through bilateral and multilateral cooperation SCO and China-Central Asian forum.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan said that the increasing rift between Pakistan and Afghan Taliban has continued to widen and intensify and has now reached a point where it is now impacting Pakistan’s most vital relations with China.

“The harsh exchanges and lack of engagement between Afghanistan and Pakistan on cross-border issues undermine prospects for durable peace and stability, while also hindering China’s efforts to expand its economic influence in Afghanistan and the region,” Ambassador Khan said. “This comes at a time when China faces intense rivalry from the U.S., with an outspokenly anti-China Trump preparing to assume power in Washington.”

He said that cordial relations and smooth engagement between Afghanistan and Pakistan is of crucial significance for the Chinese interests.

China’s efforts to bring Pakistan and Afghanistan closer are not new.

The Pakistan, Afghanistan and China trilateral grouping was launched when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to Islamabad and Kabul amid worsening relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

China has maintained good relations with Afghanistan’s interim government, becoming the first country to accept its ambassador in December last year. In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping formally received the credentials of Asadullah Bilal Karimi during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, along with envoys from over 30 other countries.