Colombo, August 21 – The Sixth meeting of the Foreign Ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan held in Kabul on Wednesday, arrived at a broad consensus on major issues. However, while China and  Pakistan laid stress on securing Afghanistan’s active cooperation in the fight against cross-border terrorism, Kabul wanted the focus to be on development cooperation, even as it orally assured that it will not allow Islamic groups to strike any neighbouring country.

China suspects that Afghanistan is aiding Islamic terror groups in the Muslim-majority Chinese province of Xinjiang and Pakistan is sure that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is wreaking havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province, is aided and abetted by the Afghan Taliban which is ruling Afghanistan.

China’s Global Times quoted the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as telling the trilateral that the three parties “should improve the security dialogue mechanism, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation and step up efforts to combat cross-border terrorist activities.”  

China is not only worried about Islamic terrorism in Xinjiang but also about the anti-Chinese attacks mounted by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in the Balochistan province of Pakistan where  it is operating a deep-water port in Gwadar.  

Beijing wants Islamabad to ensure security against the BLA, but Islamabad says that the BLA is supported by Afghanistan and India.    

However, Beijing is aware that terrorism cannot be eliminated only by force. “Countries must address both the symptoms and root causes of terrorism to eliminate its breeding ground,” Wang told the grouping, according to Global Times.   

“By adhering to the principle of indivisible security, the three countries should pay due attention to each other’s legitimate security concerns and embark on a path of cooperative and shared security,” Wang said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stressed that, “on the basis of equality, mutual trust and shared responsibility, the three parties should work together to combat cross-border terrorist attacks and all forms of terrorism.”  

A report in the Pakistani daily Dawn said that security dominated the agenda not only at the trilateral but also in bilateral talks the Pakistani and Chinese foreign ministers held with Afghan leaders.  

According to UN assessments, since August 2021, Afghanistan has again become a hub for the Islamic State Khor-asan (IS-K), Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP), East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and Al Qaeda.  

At a China-mediated trilateral meeting in May, Pakistan had secured promises about closer coordination with Afghanistan on security, while Beijing linked future economic projects, including the Mes Aynak copper mine, to action against ETIM militants active near Xinjiang.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar, speaking to the Afghan Acting Foreign

Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul, regretted that counterterrorism commitments were not being honoured by the Taliban regime.

“Encouraging progress has been made in political and commercial

ties, but progress in the security domain, especially in

counterterrorism, continues to lag behind,” Dar said, according to the Pakistan Foreign Office.

He highlighted a “recent surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan perpetrated by groups operating from Afghan soil,” and called for “concrete and verifiable measures” against the TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army.

The UN Security Council reported in July that the TTP commands around 6,000 fighters operating from Afghan territory with Taliban support.  

Bolstered by advanced weapons and ties with Islamic State Khorasan,  Al Qaeda, and Baloch separatists, the group carried out more than 600 attacks in Pakistan in late 2024, killing nearly 1,000 people.

Despite a Chinese-brokered thaw between Kabul and Islamabad earlier this year, progress remains uneven. Pakistan restored ambassadorial-level diplomatic ties with Afghanistan, and in July Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani to revive the Joint Coordination Committee on counterterrorism, all to no effect.   

Meanwhile, the Taliban relocated some TTP families to Ghazni and Zabul provinces and offered them financial aid. But the militants rejected relocation to northern Afghanistan, citing supply chain problems. The Taliban regime has resisted ordering major crackdowns, fearing defections to IS-K.

Diplomatic optics in Kabul reflected the strains between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Dawn added.  

While Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Dar only got a counterpart meeting. Official statements and the tone of reception also suggested a more lukewarm approach toward Pakistan compared to the warmth shown to China.

On their part, the Afghan leaders signalled displeasure over an upcoming conference of Afghan opposition activists in Islamabad, organised by a local group. Though not mentioned in formal communiques, Taliban officials have privately voiced strong objections.

The other grievance that Afghanistan has is the forcible repatriation of Afghan refugees, including mothers with new born babies.

Developmental Cooperation 

According to the Afghan TOLO news, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, stated that Kabul no longer wanted to be solely involved in security narratives but was seeking to transform itself into a regional economic hub.  

Muttaqi hoped to use this meeting as an opportunity to strengthen coordination and cooperation and advance trilateral cooperation to achieve greater development

As desired by Afghanistan, development cooperation and trade were also discussed at the trilateral. Zia Ahmad Takal, Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: the sixth trilateral, emphasized strengthening political, economic, and transit relations among the three countries.”

In this meeting, the Chinese foreign minister stated that economic and political cooperation between the two countries was expanding, and he described the upgrading of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s diplomatic representations to embassies as a significant development.

Wang pointed out that China and Pakistan are at the forefront of the international community and regional neighbours in helping Afghanistan stabilize, rebuild and expand its external engagement.  

China will continue to uphold fairness for Afghanistan in multilateral forums, encourage constructive engagement with Afghanistan by the international community, and support Afghanistan in advancing the normalization of its foreign relations Wang said.

“The three parties should expand development cooperation, increase trade and investment exchanges, strengthen connectivity networks and enhance people-to-people ties,” Wang said.  

Dar emphasized the need to jointly advance the partnership, enhance cooperation in trade, Belt and Road cooperation, connectivity and counterterrorism, and achieve common development.  

“As Afghanistan’s neighbour, Pakistan is willing to make greater contributions to advancing Afghanistan’s peace process and improving the livelihoods of the Afghan people,” Dar said.  

He also called for the unfreezing of Afghanistan’s overseas assets.  

Bloomberg said this high-level talk gives a boost to the Taliban’s push for legitimacy on the world stage, showing that key regional players are willing to engage with it despite the lack of formal recognition.

END