8am, Kabul: Pakistan officials say that they have negotiated with the Taliban leaders regarding Afghanistan’s membership in the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (CPEC).
In an interview with the Associated Press on Monday, September 27, Mansour Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, confirmed discussions about Afghanistan’s membership in the project.
Regional communications are the key elements in discussions between Pakistan and Taliban officials, he added.
According to Mansour Khan, the important CPEC project will provide the capacity to build infrastructure and connect energy between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as connect South Asia to Central Asia.
The Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan stated that there is currently plenty of interests in developing Afghanistan-Pakistan economic relations through this project and projects related to China, Iran and other Central Asian countries.
According to him, security issues and economic developments are the major discussions among the representatives of the Taliban’s caretaker government, Pakistan, Russia, and China.
On the recent days, the representatives of each sides have many times negotiated about the mentioned points.
On the other hand, the Taliban haven’t stated anything about these visits and its results yet.
China announced in 2015 that it was considering launching the Pakistan-China economic project as part of its Belt and Road Initiatives.
Xi Jinping, the president of China promised that its country will spend 46 billion dollars on this project.
In addition, the value of this project continued to increase to $70 billion and then $87 billion and still developing.
The Pakistani government announced on Saturday the reconstruction of the Karachi coastline under CPEC. The reconstruction project will also involve $3.5 billion in direct Chinese investment.
Thus, the area of the Karachi coastal area will be increased to 1,581 hectares for the relocation of ships and the construction of fishing grounds, resulting in the reconstruction of slums.
Of the 132 projects under CPEC, more than a quarter of the $20 billion projects have been completed so far.
Despite advancing talks on economic development in the region, Pakistan has not yet decided whether to recognize the Taliban government.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan says these issues will be raised in the future. According to him, Pakistan is also part of the international community.
Most countries have already said they will not recognize the Taliban if their counter-terrorism and human rights commitments are not met and will wait until the issue is clarified.
The Taliban-led government is currently facing serious economic challenges due to restrictions imposed by the United States and some other countries.
