ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are holding a meeting on August 20 in Kabul for high-level trilateral talks.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will attend the meeting.
According to sources, the agenda will focus on counterterrorism cooperation and expanding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, Muttaqi was scheduled to visit Pakistan on August 5, but the trip was cancelled due to “technical” reasons cited by both countries. It later emerged that the UN Security Council had denied travel permission, as Muttaqi remains on its sanctions list of Taliban members.
Following the Kabul talks, Wang Yi is expected to travel to Pakistan the next day, sources added.
33 India-backed terrorists eliminated: ISPR
Security forces have successfully foiled a major infiltration attempt from Afghanistan into Pakistan’s Zhob District, eliminating 33 terrorists linked to India-backed militant networks. The operation took place in the Sambaza area of Zhob, Balochistan, and resulted in the recovery of a significant cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives.
Details of the Infiltration Attempt
During the night operation, security forces detected the movement of a large group of militants associated with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to as khwarij by authorities. The terrorists were reportedly part of the Indian proxy group “Fitna al-Khwaraj” and were attempting to cross into Pakistan through rugged terrain along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Upon detection, Pakistani troops engaged the infiltrators with precision fire, preventing them from breaching national territory. As a result of the swift and coordinated action, 33 terrorists were neutralized. Following the engagement, a sanitisation operation was launched to ensure no remaining threats were present in the vicinity.
Authorities reported the recovery of:
- A large cache of modern and conventional weapons
- Ammunition for various calibres
- High-grade explosives intended for large-scale attacks
The successful interception is being viewed as a critical achievement in the ongoing campaign to neutralize Indian-backed terrorism inside Pakistan.
