Beijing, April 28
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday and expressed hope that Pakistan and India could meet each other halfway to improve their strained relations following the Pulwama terror attack by a JeM suicide bomber.
Both leaders also exchanged views on situations in South Asia, an official Chinese statement here said about the meeting between Xi and Khan.
India-Pakistan relations reportedly figured prominently in the meeting. Xi expressed hope that Pakistan and India could meet each other halfway and promote the stabilisation and improvement of India-Pakistan relations, it said.
Khan arrived in China on April 25 and attended China’s second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) held on April 26-27.
The BRF meeting was held to highlight the achievement of the trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) started by Xi in 2013 in which $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an important component.
India skipped the meeting for the second time, protesting over the CPEC which is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Sunday’s meeting between Xi and Khan is regarded significant as it was held in the backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) which killed 40 Indian CRPF soldiers.
Khan’s meeting with Xi took place when China is under pressure at the United Nations over its repeated attempts to block efforts to declare Pakistan-based JeM leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
Last month, China put a technical hold on a resolution put forth by the US, the UK and France at the UN’s 1267 counter-terrorism committee to declare Azhar as a global terrorist. While there is no word here whether the Azhar issue figured in Xi’s talks with Khan, officials say there is a sense of wariness on the part of Beijing to block India, the US and other countries’ efforts to blacklist him at the UN on behalf of Pakistan.
Addressing Pakistan and China Investment Forum in Beijing on Sunday, Khan expressed hope that the relations between the two neighbours will improve after the Indian General Elections. — PTI
Significance of meeting
Sunday’s meeting between Xi and Khan is regarded significant as it was held in the backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the February 14 Pulwama terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) which killed 40 Indian CRPF soldiers.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2XX9Y7R
via Today’s News Headlines
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