China and Pakistan urge the world to spare Afghanistan a 'humanitarian disaster'

Pakistan's prime minister and China's president emphasized that peace and stability in Afghanistan would promote economic development and connectivity in the region

Islamabad/Anadolu

China and Pakistan on Sunday called on the international community to urgently help the Afghan people and avoid a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Afghanistan.

This came during a meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Chinese capital Beijing, during which they discussed a number of issues, including regional security and economic cooperation.

This is the first meeting between the two leaders since Khan's visit to China in October 2019. Khan has been in China since Thursday to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Pakistani prime minister's office said in a statement.

According to the statement, both leaders emphasized that "peace and stability" in Afghanistan would promote economic development and connectivity in the region.

They urged the international community to urgently help the Afghan people and avert a "humanitarian catastrophe" in the war-torn country.

"The two leaders reviewed a whole gamut of Pakistan-China bilateral cooperation and in a cordial atmosphere exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern," the statement said.

"The all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China has stood the test of time and the two countries have stood firmly side by side in realizing their shared vision and aspirations for peace, stability, development and prosperity," he added.

Khan praised China's continued support and assistance for Pakistan's socio-economic development, "which has greatly benefited from the high-quality development of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project."

He also welcomed increased Chinese investment in the second phase of the economic corridor, which focuses on industrialization and improving people's livelihoods.

Khan also addressed the "atrocities committed by New Delhi against Kashmiri Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir".

He said the "atrocities being committed" in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, called Jammu and Kashmir, along with the "persecution of minorities in India" pose "a threat to regional peace and stability," according to a statement from the Pakistani Prime Minister's Office.

The statement concluded with Khan reaffirming Pakistan's full support for China on all issues affecting its "core interest" and reiterating his invitation to the Chinese president to visit Pakistan.

Source: Anadolu Agency