China backs Pak’s ‘quest for peace through talks’ with India

Appeasement to ‘avoid bloodshed’ sends dangerous message: Pak min

China on Sunday said it supported Pakistan’s “quest for peace through dialogue” to settle the outstanding disputes with India as it backed Islamabad’s “engagement” with the Nuclear Suppliers group (NSG). A joint statement, issued in Beijing after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, said China backed Pakistan’s efforts to improve ties with India to settle “outstanding disputes”, without directly mentioning the Kashmir issue.

“China appreciates Pakistan’s quest for peace through dialogue, cooperation and negotiation, on the basis of mutual respect and equality, and supports Pakistan’s efforts for improvement of Pakistan-India relations and for settlement of outstanding disputes between the two countries,” the joint statement said.

The ties between India and Pakistan had strained after the terror attacks by Pakistan-based groups in 2016 and India’s surgical strikes inside PoK.

In recent years, China has refrained from taking a public

Significantly, China tacitly expressed backing for Pak’s efforts to secure NSG membership. India has been seeking entry into the 48-member elite N-club, but China has repeatedly stonewalled its bid.

stance on the India-Pakistan ties, expressing hope for resolution of the disputes through dialogue.

On the Kashmir issue, China’s repeated stand was it should be resolved peacefully through talks. India too supports talks as the way to resolve the issue with Pak but maintains the talks and terrorism cannot go together.

For its part, Pakistan supported active participation of China at the platform of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani minister on Sunday said appeasement to "avoid bloodshed" sends a dangerous message to non-state actors, a day after the radical Islamist parties reached a deal with the government to end their protests against an SC verdict acquitting Christian woman Asia Bibi, 47, of blasphemy charges.

Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted the history shows appeasement never works. “Appeasement to avoid bloodshed in a war-weary Europe led to massive bloodshed & destruction in the form of WWII,” Mazari said.

Meanwhile, the husband of Asia Bibi has pleaded for international help to leave the country, saying he feared for his family's safety. The request by husband Ashiq Masih came a day after he criticised a government deal with hardline Islamists that left her in legal limbo, and called on authorities to protect her.