Islamabad, April 1 Officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China are meeting on Wednesday in the Chinese city of Urumqi under the trilateral mechanism, according to a media report.
This is the first high-level interaction between the two warring neighbours since Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against alleged terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan on February 26.
Quoting a senior Foreign Ministry official, who wished to remain anonymous, Dawn reported that the meeting is not a "mediation effort in itself".
The report stated that the meeting is focused on sharing perspectives on the latest escalation. While China is pushing for confidence-building measures, such as reopening trade routes, no major outcomes are expected.
Another official, familiar with the development, said that Beijing had requested Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who was in the Chinese capital on Tuesday, to represent Pakistan's participation, as Kabul had sought assistance from China in bringing Islamabad to the table.
He also added that China has concerns about the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) — a transnational terrorist organization known to operate in Afghanistan.
"The Afghan side is showing willingness to act on this matter and has agreed to discuss a verifiable mechanism on some of the key demands by Pakistan and China regarding the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ETIM," the official added.
He elaborated that these are "exploratory discussions" to gauge the seriousness of the Afghan side. The Director-General level talks are being led by the Additional Secretary of the Afghan desk at the Foreign Office from the Pakistani side, he added.
The official further said that the diplomat was already present in China as he was accompanying the foreign minister. "The Pakistani delegation also includes military and intelligence officials."
The Afghan delegation includes members of the interior and foreign ministries as well as officials from Afghanistan's General Directorate of Intelligence.
There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Officials say these appeals have gone unheeded.
Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of February 26, following what Pakistan called "unprovoked firing" by the Afghan Taliban from across the border.
From March 18 to 23, Pakistan observed a five-day temporary pause in the operation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, with the Foreign Office later saying it would continue "until its objectives are achieved".
De-escalation requests from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey were part of the reasons behind the pauses announced by both sides, according to their respective statements.
In early March, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had said that peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan could only prevail if the Taliban regime "renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organizations".