China reiterates restraint, dialogue as Pulwama attack strains India-Pakistan ties

BEIJING – China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called for restraint and dialogue as India-Pakistan ties worsened after attacks in the occupied Kashmir.

Spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remarks in response to a query about China's role in easing tensions between the two neighbours.

A suicide blast in Indian-controlled Kashmir last week left 40 paramilitary troopers dead. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the attack but the latter rejected the allegations.

"Both Pakistan and India are important countries in South Asia. The stability of bilateral relations is crucial to regional peace, stability and development," Geng said.

South Asia is on the whole stable currently, Geng said, stressing that the hard-won situation deserved to be cherished and upheld by all parties concerned.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/pm-to-address-nation-and-issue-policy-statement-about-pulwama-incident/

In a televised address to the nation Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan asked India to share "actionable evidence" regarding the attack and said Pakistan would extend cooperation in the investigation.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Yesterday, a Chinese state-run newspaper said India must self-introspect its anti-terrorism policy rather than blaming Pakistan for the Pulwama suicide bombing and China for blocking efforts to list Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist without proof.

A comment piece in the Global Times maintained that India failed to provide "solid evidence" against Azhar and said China rightly practised caution against listing him as a terrorist. The article, authored by Yu Jincui, advised New Delhi to resort to "quiet diplomacy instead of extensively directing aggressive rhetoric to better address" the Azhar issue.

"Without solid evidence, India has long accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorist attacks by JeM and other militant groups and China of providing uncritical support for Pakistan," the article stated.

"Instead of simply blaming other countries, especially Pakistan and China, shouldn't the Indian government make more self-introspection on its anti-terrorism policy and dwell more on how to better administer (Jammu and) Kashmir?"