News Desk

ISLAMABAD, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Pakistan from May 5, his maiden visit to Islamabad after taking the post.

According to diplomatic sources, Qin Gang will land in Islamabad after attending Goa meeting on May 5 and will lead China delegation in strategic dialogue with Pakistan on May 6.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan will also hold a trilateral meeting Islamabad on May 6. The last trilateral meeting of foreign ministers under current mechanism was held in September 2019.

A United Nations Security Council committee has accepted a Pakistani request to allow the acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, to travel to Pakistan next week to meet with the foreign Ministers of Pakistan and China, according to Ambassador Munir Akram.

“The Security Council’s Taliban sanction committee approved our request this (Monday) afternoon,” the Pakistani envoy to the UN told a state run news agency in New York.

Muttaqi is subjected to a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo under Security Council sanctions. In a letter to the committee, Pakistan’s Mission to the UN requested an exemption for FM Muttaqi who

is to travel between May 6-9 “for a meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and China.”

Last month, the Security Council committee allowed Muttaqi to travel to Uzbekistan for a meeting of the foreign ministers of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to discuss urgent peace, security, and stability matters.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began a two-day meeting in Doha with special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries that aims “to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Dujarric said the closed-door meeting would discuss key issues, such as human rights – in particular women’s and girls’ rights – inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking, but not

recognition of the Taliban government.

Taking part are Pakistan, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Britain, the United States, Uzbekistan, the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Taliban government was not invited to the Doha meeting.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has underlined the importance for international community to take credible steps in support of the people of Afghanistan.