China and Pakistan have jointly emphasized the formation of an “inclusive government” in Afghanistan, according to a joint statement released after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s four-day visit to China.
The statement urges the interim government of Afghanistan (the Taliban) to establish a comprehensive political framework.
“Both parties encourage the Afghan interim government to create an inclusive political structure,” the statement reads.
According to a report by Business Standard, the declaration also calls on the Taliban to combat terrorism decisively and to prevent their territory from being used for terrorist activities against other countries.
Although the Taliban have previously denied the presence of terrorist groups within their controlled Afghanistan, Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of supporting Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The joint statement from the Chinese President and the Pakistani Prime Minister further calls on the Taliban to adopt “moderate” policies and to maintain good relations with neighboring countries.
This development comes amid Pakistan’s accusations that the Taliban were responsible for an attack on five Chinese engineers in Pakistan.
Pakistani officials have frequently accused the Taliban of fostering terrorism within Pakistan and claimed that militant groups based in Afghanistan are responsible for most of the terrorist attacks in the country.
