Pakistan Sends Delegation to China for Talks with Afghan side
Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi announced that senior government officials are representing Islamabad at the table, with the talks facilitated through Chinese mediation. A local broadcaster reported that the two sides "launched junior-level diplomatic talks in Urumqi."
On the Afghan side, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi confirmed a "mid-level" delegation had touched down in China for the formal exchanges, stressing that the engagement was not self-initiated — "This process is at the request of China," he said.
The Urumqi meeting follows a high-stakes diplomatic encounter Tuesday in Beijing, where Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held bilateral discussions with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi — signaling Beijing's growing urgency to contain the regional crisis.
China made its position unambiguous Thursday, pledging to "continue to play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation, and improving relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan." Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, speaking to reporters in Beijing, added that China — which shares borders with both nations — firmly backed resolving all differences through dialogue rather than force.
The diplomatic push comes after a sharp escalation that erupted in late February, when Islamabad launched airstrikes deep inside Afghan territory. The strikes followed a string of devastating militant attacks across Pakistan carried out by fighters loyal to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a group Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring and refusing to act against. Kabul has flatly rejected those allegations, maintaining that TTP operatives do not operate from Afghan soil.
Officials from both governments acknowledge that dozens of civilians, soldiers, and militants have perished along the volatile frontier since hostilities intensified.
A fragile, week-long ceasefire — brokered at the urging of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar — took hold on March 18, timed to coincide with the eve of Eid al-Fitr. Whether Thursday's talks in Urumqi can translate that pause into lasting stability now rests largely on Beijing's capacity to hold both sides to the negotiating table.
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