BEIJING: China on Thursday called on the international community to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in response to a US drone strike in Balochistan that killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour last month.
When asked to comment on Pakistan’s stance that the US drone strike on May 21 was a violation of its sovereignty and detrimental to trust between Washington and Islamabad, a foreign office spokesperson said: “Pakistan has made enormous efforts to combat terrorism and support Afghan reconciliation process. The international community should fully recognise that and respect Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
“The QCG [Quadrilateral Coordination Group of Afghanistan] is formed to create enabling conditions for the Afghan reconciliation process. All relevant parties should pull together for that goal,” spokesperson Hong Lei's said.
Pakistan’s top military and civilian leaders on Tuesday attended a meeting at the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters, denouncing the US drone strike.
The meeting where the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and DG ISI were in attendance was called to discuss the security situation of the country, a source said.
"The drone strike affected Pakistan’s ties with the United States as well as its sovereignty", a statement issued after the meeting said. It said the Afghan reconciliation process had been impacted in a negative way due to the drone strike on May 21.