Islamabad (TDI): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that Pakistan would upgrade relations with the Afghan Taliban government after due diligence and consultations with all stakeholders.
“All stakeholders would be taken on board. We will do due diligence and discuss all pros and cons,” Dar told journalists when asked about China’s announcement about Islamabad and Kabul’s decision to elevate the diplomatic relations.
The Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday said Pakistan and Afghanistan expressed their readiness to elevate their relations and agreed in principle to exchange envoys.
The statement was released after an informal meeting in Beijing, hosted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and attended by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghan Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
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The three-way talks were not planned earlier as these have been reportedly arranged at the last moment in view of the evolving situation in the region.
Dar told journalists that Pakistan, China and Afghanistan have decided to collectively fight terrorism.
He said during the trilateral meeting it was agreed to jointly eradicate terrorism from their soils, including terrorist outfits like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Baloch Liberation Army, and the Majeed Brigade.
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He made it clear that terrorism will not be allowed to stay in these three countries. Replying to a question, Dar said that any attack that was supervised by the Afghan interim government was not acceptable. However, he stated there was a possibility that outfits might be working without the knowledge of the Afghan administration.
He said his recent trip to Kabul was productive, adding that the Taliban administration had taken certain measures to rein in terrorists without providing specific details.
Dar did not dismiss the possibility of upgrading relations with Afghanistan but emphasized that the Taliban government must ensure Afghan soil is not used by terrorist groups.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
