ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China and Afghanistan on Wednesday pledged to step up joint efforts against terrorism, expand cooperation in key sectors and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghan territory, Pakistan’s foreign office said.
The commitment came after the Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue in Kabul, attended by the foreign ministers of the three countries.
“The three sides committed to strengthen joint efforts against terrorism,” the foreign office said. It added the dialogue focused on political trust, security cooperation and economic integration.
The statement said the countries also agreed to deepen collaboration in trade, transit, health, education, culture, drug control and regional development, alongside the extension of CPEC.
CPEC is a multibillion-dollar project linking China and Pakistan through roads, railways and energy pipelines. Beijing brokered an agreement earlier this year to raise Pakistan-Afghanistan ties to ambassadorial level and to extend CPEC into Afghanistan.
Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar also held a bilateral meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi. Both welcomed the diplomatic upgrade but Dar pressed Kabul to act against militant groups.
Dar cited a recent surge in attacks inside Pakistan and said groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)/Majeed Brigade operate from Afghan soil. He urged Kabul to take “concrete and verifiable measures” against them.
Afghanistan denied the allegations. Muttaqi reaffirmed Kabul’s commitment to prevent its territory from being used by any group against Pakistan or other nations.
Former Pakistani diplomats described the dialogue as a positive development. Naghmana Hashmi said extending CPEC to Afghanistan would unlock the project’s potential, while Asif Durrani warned progress would depend on a drop in cross-border violence.
The talks came as Pakistan pressed ahead with a phased deportation of Afghans, including registered refugees whose stay permits expire after Sept. 1.
