Pushed to the ropes, by an unrelenting diplomatic offensive launched by India following the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, Pakistan on Thursday attempted to get Beijing into the Indo-Pak diplomatic frame by announcing that it has given Beijing a “blank cheque” to negotiate on its behalf.In a clear indication of growing proximity between Islamabad and Beijing, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his country has given Beijing a “blank cheque” to negotiate on Islamabad’s behalf.
The statement came a day after Islamabad attacked the US for linking financial aid to Islamabad’s initiatives on the terror front.
The Pakistani foreign minister said that he had told Chinese special envoy He Yafei to “go to Delhi and you have a blank cheque from us”. He further added that Pakistan was ready to do whatever China suggests to his government.
Analysts attribute Chinese support to Islamabad to US President Barack Obama’s plans to bring the war on terror to South Asia, Beijing is skeptical of deployment of more US troops in the region.
The diplomatic shift comes as no surprise to India, especially, as Pakistan has repeatedly used its links with Beijing to quell New Delhi’s diplomatic efforts.
It was this proximity that lead to New Delhi’s reluctance to entertain He Yafei when he sought audience with the Indian leadership September last. New Delhi, later, relented as part of its worldwide diplomatic initiative.
He Yafei, in an effort to project China’s position as a “negotiator” travelled to New Delhi on January 5 to ask India to restart the dialogue and look at Islamabad’s offer of a joint negotiation into the Mumbai terror attacks.
The Pakistani foreign minister said that Pakistan’s ties with China were a cornerstone of the Pakistani foreign policy. “We have complete trust, mutual understanding and convergence of views on bilateral, regional and international issues,” he said.
The bilateral relations, “which have withstood regional and global changes”, would “flourish in the days ahead”, Qureshi said.
Since the war on terror started to take its toll on US-Pakistan ties, Islamabad has counted on Beijing for defence equipments and a flow of funds required to prop up its economy.
