Pakistan, China, Afghanistan vow joint push against terrorism, agree on CPEC extension

The Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue was held in Kabul on Wednesday, attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The three sides pledged to intensify joint efforts against terrorism and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding collaboration in trade, transit, regional development, health, education, culture and drug control. They also agreed to advance the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.

On the sidelines, Dar held a bilateral meeting with Muttaqi, during which both ministers expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of ties and welcomed the recent upgrade of diplomatic representation from chargé d’affaires to ambassadorial level.

They also reviewed progress on decisions taken during earlier meetings in Kabul and Beijing, noting tangible gains in trade and transit.

Dar, however, underlined that cooperation in the security domain continued to lag. He cited a surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan by groups operating from Afghan soil and urged Kabul to take “concrete and verifiable” action against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)/Majeed Brigade.

Muttaqi reiterated Afghanistan’s pledge to prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan or any other country. Dar also thanked Afghan authorities for their hospitality and congratulated them on successfully hosting the trilateral dialogue.

Earlier, DPM arrived in Kabul, accompanied by SAPM/Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the last meeting held on May 21, the three sides reaffirmed trilateral cooperation as a vital platform to promote regional security and economic connectivity.

The leaders discussed enhancing diplomatic engagement, strengthening communications, and taking practical steps to boost trade, infrastructure, and development as key drivers of shared prosperity.

They also agreed to deepen Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.