[ KJM Varma ]
BEIJING, 28 Apr: China on Monday said it welcomes all measures to “cool down” the current situation between India and Pakistan, including a “swift and fair investigation” into the Pahalgam terror attack, and expressed support for its all-weather ally in safeguarding its sovereignty and security.
“China welcomes all measures that help to cool down the current situation and supports fair and just investigations at an early date,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here.
He, however, evaded direct response to a question whether Beijing will take part in the probe, as, according to a Russian media report, Pakistan wanted China and Russia to be part of the investigation into the Pahalgam attack.
He also parried another question about fairness and credibility of any investigation, considering that Pakistan faced allegations of sponsoring cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
As a neighbour of both India and Pakistan, China hopes that both countries will exercise restraint and work in the same direction, handle relevant differences properly through dialogue and consultation and jointly uphold peace and stability in the region,” Jiakun said.
India and Pakistan are both important countries in South Asia. Peaceful coexistence between the two countries is important to the peace and the development of the region, he said.
While China on 23 April “strongly condemned” the brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed, its first reaction on the rising tensions between India and Pakistan came after Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Sunday and sought Beijing’s support.
Yi had the phone call with Dar upon request, state-run Global Times reported.
Dar briefed Yi, who besides being foreign minister is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, on the latest tensions between Pakistan and India “following a terrorist attack in the Kashmir region,” state-run Xinhua news agency report quoted on foreign press release.
For his part, Yi said China is closely following the developments, stressing that combating terrorism is a shared responsibility of the entire world, while reaffirming Beijing’s consistent support for Pakistan’s firm counterterrorism efforts, it said.
“As an ironclad friend and an all-weather strategic cooperative partner, China fully understands Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and security interests,” the report quoted Yi as saying.
“China advocates a swift and fair investigation and believes that conflict does not serve the fundamental interests of either India or Pakistan, nor does it benefit regional peace and stability,” Yi noted.
China hopes both sides will remain restrained, move toward each other, and work together to deescalate the situation, he added.
There was, however, no reference to India’s response, among others, to the suspension of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty following the attack, which set off panic reactions in Pakistan, as it is the lifeline for its water requirements.
India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and downgraded diplomatic ties with Islamabad. That call was taken by India after the Pahalgam attack.
In response to India’s decision to suspend the IWT, Pakistan on Thursday threatened to suspend the Simla Agreement and put other bilateral accords with India on hold. Pakistan also suspended all trade, closed its airspace to Indian airlines, and said any attempt to divert the water meant for it under the IWT would be considered an act of war.
According to a Xinhua report, Dar in a phone call to Wang emphasised that Pakistan had consistently and firmly fought terrorism and was against any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation.
Pakistan is committed to managing the situation in a mature manner and will maintain communication with China and the international community, Dar said. (PTI)
