Imran to thank Xi for support on Kashmir issue

ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will leave for a three-day visit to China next week, during which he will hold meetings with Chinese leadership as well as members of the business community.

The date of Khan’s visit to China has not yet been officially announced but officials have privately said that it will take place from October 8. The Pakistan premier will hold meetings with President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese officials. He is expected to thank the Chinese leadership for backing Pakistan on the Kashmir issue and oversee the signing of memoranda of understanding pertaining to various agreements between the two countries.

Khan will also meet potential Chinese investors, said officials.

The prime minister’s first major engagement would be to attend the China-Pakistan Business Forum in Beijing on October 8, according to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

TALIBAN, US ENVOY MEET PAK OFFICIALS

Afghan Taliban officials, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, were due in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of reviving talks for a political settlement in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s foreign ministry and the insurgent group said.

The high-profile Taliban delegation was arriving as the top US diplomat involved in talks with the militants, Zalmay Khalilzad, also met government officials in Islamabad.

Insurgent spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the Pakistan visit would be the fourth leg of a tour that included Russia, China and Iran. The insurgents were set to arrive late Wednesday.