Pakistan to host crucial Afghan trilateral meeting

Chinese and Afghan interim foreign ministers will also have bilateral meetings with Pakistani authorities

ISLAMABAD:

Foreign ministers of China and Afghanistan are set to visit Islamabad later this week on a crucial visit to discuss the current situation in the neighbouring country and importantly how to deal with terrorist sanctuaries.

This is only the second visit of Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan since Taliban returned to power in August 2021. Also it will be the first visit of new Chinese foreign minister.

Apart from trilateral meeting, the Chinese and Afghan interim foreign ministers will have bilateral meetings with Pakistani authorities. The Chinese foreign minister is expected to arrive in Islamabad on May 5 after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Goa along with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. They will be joined by the Afghan foreign minister on May 6.

Pakistan is not happy with the Afghan Taliban as the interim government has so far failed to honour its commitment to tackle the terrorist sanctuaries of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP). China, officials here say, this could nudge the Afghan Taliban towards addressing Pakistani concerns.

There has been a surge in terrorist attacks in Pakistan since the Taliban takeover. This was contrary to expectations of Pakistan that Taliban returning to power would address Pakistan’s concerns. Instead the TTP and its affiliates feel emboldened with the Afghan Taliban taking over Kabul.

The Afghan Taliban, who earlier tried to broker a peace between Pakistan and the TTP, are facing a renewed pressure from Islamabad as it is no longer seeking peace talks with the terrorist group. Pakistan is hoping that Muttaqi would come with a concrete plan to eradicate the terror threat.

Meanwhile, a UN Security Council committee on Monday agreed to allow the Taliban administration's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to travel to Pakistan from Afghanistan next week to meet with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and China, diplomats said, according to Reuters. 

Read more: UN says Taliban envoy can meet Pakistan, China ministers next week

Muttaqi has long been subjected to a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo under Security Council sanctions. According to a letter to the 15-member Security Council Taliban sanctions committee, Pakistan's UN mission requested an exemption for Muttaqi who was to travel between May 6-9 "for a meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and China."

It did not say what the ministers would discuss. 

It said Pakistan would cover all costs associated with Muttaqi's trip. Chinese and Pakistani officials have both said in the past that they would welcome Taliban-led Afghanistan into the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project, part of the Belt and Road Initiative. 

Afghanistan sits as a key geographical trade and transit route between South and Central Asia and has billions of dollars of untapped mineral resources. The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war.

The Security Council committee allowed Muttaqi to travel to Uzbekistan last month for a meeting of the foreign ministers of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to discuss urgent peace, security, and stability matters.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began a two day meeting on Monday in Doha with special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries that aims "to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Dujarric said the closed-door meeting would discuss key issues key issues, such as human rights – in particular women's and girls' rights – inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking.

Taking part are China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Britain, the United States, Uzbekistan, the European Union and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The Taliban administration was not invited to the Doha meeting.