Islamabad (TDI): The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed appreciation for China’s unwavering support to Pakistan amid the ongoing tensions with India since April 22’s Pahalgam Attack. The remarks came during his meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif conveyed warm wishes to China’s President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. He also discussed the prevailing diplomatic and political situation in South Asia.
PM Shehbaz recalled the recent telephone conversation between the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, and appreciated China for understanding Pakistan’s position regarding India’s belligerence.
He also expressed gratitude for China’s sincere endorsement of Pakistan’s offer to conduct a neutral, credible, and transparent international investigation of the Pahalgam attack.
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Moreover, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stated that Pakistan had always condemned terrorism in all its forms, and being a frontline state against terrorism, Pakistan had sacrificed more than 90,000 lives; civilian and military.
The country had also suffered economic losses of more than $152 billion, in its efforts to root out all extremist elements and make the country and the rest of the world safe.
He further stated that India’s blatant accusations could distract Pakistan from its ongoing counter-terrorism efforts against banned outfits including ISKP, TTP, and BLA, who have their hideouts in Afghanistan and are conducting terrorist activities inside Pakistan.
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Talking about India’s unilateral withdrawal from the Indus Water Treaty, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that India’s decision to weaponize water was extremely deplorable, especially when there was no provision for either party to walk away unilaterally from its commitments under the Indus Waters Treaty.
He also noted that lasting peace in South Asia is possible only with a peaceful resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.
The Ambassador of China to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for elaborating on Pakistan’s perspective. He also emphasized that China would always support Pakistan in achieving their shared goal of securing lasting peace and stability in the South Asian region.
Sohail Majeed
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
