Pakistan, China and Afghanistan vow stronger anti-terror cooperation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China and Afghanistan committed themselves to strengthen joint efforts against the menace of terrorism and strengthening collaboration with each other in several key sectors, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The development comes in the Sixth Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue held in Kabul on 20 August 2025 between deputy prime minister/ foreign minister of Pakistan, foreign minister of China and acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, focusing on political, economic and security cooperation.

They have also reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in trade, transit, regional development, health, education, culture, and combating drug trafficking, as well as, extension of CPEC to Afghanistan.

In May, during informal trilateral between Pakistan, Afghanistan and China it was decided to strengthen strong collocation to defeat terrorism and extend CPEC to Afghanistan. During the informal trilateral in Beijing on May 21, Pakistan and Afghanistan had also agreed to elevate their bilateral diplomatic relations.

The deputy prime minister/ foreign minister held a bilateral meeting with the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, on the sidelines of the 6th Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan in Kabul.

Both ministers expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory of bilateral relations between their countries, the FO statement said. They welcomed the recent elevation of diplomatic representation between the two countries from Chargé d’Affairs to Ambassadorial level, as agreed during the Trilateral Meeting in Beijing on 21 May 2025.

Reflecting on their recent engagements, including the deputy prime minister and foreign minister’s visits to Kabul on 19 April 2025 and 17 July 2025, and the Beijing meeting on 21 May 2025, the ministers noted with appreciation that most decisions from these interactions have either been implemented or are nearing completion. These efforts have significantly strengthened Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, particularly in the areas of trade and transit.

The deputy prime minister/ foreign minister acknowledged the encouraging progress in political and commercial ties, while expressing progress in the security domain, especially in counter-terrorism, continues to lag behind. He highlighted a recent surge in terrorist attacks inside Pakistan perpetrated by groups operating from Afghan soil, urging the Afghan authorities to take concrete and verifiable measures against entities such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)/ Majeed Brigade.

The Afghan acting foreign minister reaffirmed Afghanistan’s commitment to ensuring its territory is not used by any terrorist group against Pakistan or other nations.

The deputy prime minister/ foreign minister extended his gratitude to the Afghan authorities for their warm hospitality and congratulated them on successfully hosting the 6th Trilateral Dialogue.

Furthermore, on the margins of the 6th Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, Pakistan’s DPM/FM met the Afghan Acting FM.

They noted positive movement in political and economic ties, and reaffirmed commitment to working closely on counter-terrorism and ensuring peace and stability in the region.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025