China tells international community to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty

An Afghan man reads a local newspaper with photos the former leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Source: AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)

Weeks after Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in Balochistan was killed in an American drone, China has asked the international community to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The international community should fully recognise that and respect Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Express Tribune quoted Hong Lei, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, as saying.

Mansoor and his driver were killed when the car they were travelling in was targeted in a US drone strike in Naushki district of Balochistan on May 21.

Following the incident, senior civil and military officials, including Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that the drone strike was a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty affecting mutual trust, and undermined the spirit of Afghan peace process.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson pointed out that Islamabad’s enormous efforts to combat terrorism and support the Afghan reconciliation process needs to be recognised by the international community.

He said that the impact of the drone strike on the four-nation Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) which includes Pakistan Afghanistan, US and China, must all work together.

“The QCG is formed to create enabling conditions for the Afghan reconciliation process. All relevant parties should pull together for that goal,” he said.

Meanwhile, as of now it is clear that China is ready or oppose to a push by the United States and other major powers for India to join the main club of countries controlling access to sensitive nuclear technology.

On Thursday, at the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting in Vienna, some countries opposed to India’s admission to the group appeared more willing to work towards a compromise.

The NSG aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by restricting the sale of items that can be used to make those arms.

Pakistan, meanwhile, has responded to India’s membership bid with one of its own.

“By bringing India on board, it’s a slap in the face of the entire non-proliferation regime,” the Express Tribune quoted a diplomatic source as saying.

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly has written to members asking them “not to block consensus on Indian admission to the NSG” in a letter dated Friday.

(Source : indianexpress.com)

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