Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid on Monday expressed that the group “desires” to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He also informed that the Taliban will address Islamabad’s concerns about Pakistan based terror group ‘Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’ (TTP), Samaa News reported.
Mujahid also confirmed that an upcoming meeting between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Lt General Faiz Hameed and Taliban senior leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Several reports of the group’s collusion with Pakistan have emerged since its takeover of Afghanistan. Most recently, the visit of Pakistan’s ISI chief Faiz Hameed to Kabul drew ire especially since it was followed by a massive military offensive in Panjshir Valley, reportedly aided by the Pakistan Air Force. CPEC is a part of China’s most ambitious project ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, aimed at renewing the country’s historic trade routes in the coastal countries of south-east Asia. While several Pakistani officials have met the Taliban, on Monday, China also became one of the first countries to interact with a Taliban delegation. In 2015, China announced the ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor’ (CPEC) project which is worth USD 46 billion. China had temporarily halted all work on the project after the incident.
