ISLAMABAD: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on a three-day official visit at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday. During his stay in the country, Wang will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and President-elect Arif Alvi. He will also interact with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, discuss regional security issues with Pakistani leaders, and evaluate the pace of work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Chinese foreign minister’s trip to the country comes a few days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s diplomatic engagements in Islamabad. This also makes him the third foreign minister — after the Iranian and American dignitaries — who arrived in Pakistan in less than two weeks. Analysts believe Pakistan’s ties with China have become far more significant that its diplomatic relations with other countries since President Xi Jinping announced his famous Belt and Road initiative in September 2013. They also maintain that Beijing’s decision to finance a combination of energy, infrastructure and industrial projects as part of the CPEC initiative has pulled Pakistan into the center of Chinese plan to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and redefine the dynamics of global politics. CPEC is also touted as Pakistan’s opportunity to change its economic geography, making many experts argue it will have huge geopolitical implications in a fast-changing global political landscape. This will also be the first official visit by a Chinese dignitary since the new government was formed in Pakistan and is likely to further strengthen relations between the two countries
Chinese foreign minister to arrive in Pakistan on a three-day visit
Chinese foreign minister to arrive in Pakistan on a three-day visit
- This will be the first official visit by a Chinese dignitary since the new government was formed in Pakistan
- The trip to the country comes a few days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s diplomatic engagements in Islamabad
Pakistan says Afghan forces opened ‘unprovoked’ border fire, warns of retaliation
- Incident follows Pakistan’s weekend strikes on TTP and Daesh targets inside Afghanistan
- Escalation threatens fragile ceasefire along 2,600-km frontier linking South and Central Asia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday accused Afghan Taliban forces of opening “unprovoked” fire along their shared border and warned that any further aggression would draw a swift response.
The latest exchange comes amid sharply rising tensions between the two neighbors following Pakistan’s weekend strikes targeting what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh militant camps inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and condemned them as violations of its sovereignty, vowing to respond.
Cross-border violence has intensified since Pakistan blamed recent suicide bombings in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu on militants it says are based in Afghanistan. Islamabad maintains that militant safe havens across the border are driving a surge in attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Mosharraf Zaidi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesperson for foreign media, said Afghan forces opened fire near the Torkham border crossing and Tirah Valley in Pakistan’s northwest.
“Pakistan’s security forces responded immediately and effectively silencing the Taliban aggression,” he told Arab News. “Any further provocation will be responded to immediately and severely, god willing. Pakistan will continue to protect its citizens and guard its territorial integrity.”
The incident marks the second major escalation in less than a year. Similar Pakistani strikes last year triggered weeklong clashes before Qatar, Turkiye and other regional actors mediated a tenuous ceasefire in October.
The 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) frontier, a key trade and transit corridor linking Pakistan to landlocked Afghanistan and onward to Central Asia, has faced repeated closures amid tensions, disrupting commerce and humanitarian movement. Trade between the two nations has remained closed since October.
Analysts warn that sustained military exchanges risk undermining diplomatic efforts to stabilize ties, including a Saudi-mediated initiative earlier this month that secured the release of three Pakistani soldiers.
Separately on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sharif discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani during talks in Doha, according to a statement from Sharif’s office. Both sides emphasized dialogue and de-escalation to promote regional stability.
