China offers to help improve India-Pakistan ties, silent on Amarnath attack

Mangalore Today News Network

Beijing, Jul 12, 2017: China on Wednesday offered to play a “constructive role” in improving India-Pakistan ties, saying the “conflict” in Kashmir had attracted the world community’s attention, but offered no comment or condolences for the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims that left seven people dead.

“The situation in Kashmir has attracted the attention of the international community,” foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a regular news briefing.

The “conflict” near the LoC would not only impact the “peace and tranquillity” of India and Pakistan but also affect the region, he said.

“Pakistan and India are both important countries in South Asia,” Geng said. “China was willing to play a constructive role in improving relations between India and Pakistan.”

Geng was responding to a question from a Pakistani journalist about the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the role Beijing could play in resolving differences between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Neither the spokesperson nor the Chinese government formally condemned the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir on Monday.

The investigation into the incident has just begun but India authorities suspect the involvement of Pakistan-based Laskar-e-Taiba, a group banned by the US and the UN.

Key Western powers and most countries in India’s neighbourhood have condemned the attack, describing it as heinous and against humanity. China is the only major power and neighbour to remain silent on it.

 Relations between China and India have hit a fresh low because of a military standoff in the Sikkim sector. Indian troops acted in coordination with the Bhutan government to oppose the construction of a road by Chinese troops in the Donglang or Doklam region claimed by Thimphu.

Both sides have deployed more troops in the sector due to the three-week-old standoff. China has demanded that India withdraw its troops from the area as a pre-condition for meaningful dialogue.

When Geng was asked to comment on foreign secretary S Jaishankar’s remarks that India and China have handled such differences in the past, he replied that the incident in the Sikkim sector was “different in nature”.

Courtesy: Hindustatimes