Pakistan's Federal Minister of Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif addressing the Sixth Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on October 18 (COURTESY OF THE PAKISTAN EMBASSY IN BEIJING)

At the Sixth Xiangshan Forum which was concluded yesterday, October 18, Pakistan's Federal Minister of Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif welcomed the proactive role played and positive efforts made by China in helping find a peaceful resolution to the Afghan problem.  

Asif said that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan is a guarantee of peace and stability in Pakistan and in the region at large. He pointed out that it is only through the maintenance of this peace and stability that the real benefits of projects such as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor might accrue, ushering in a new era of development and prosperity. 

The minister made these comments on Sunday while addressing the forum on the topic of "Regional Terrorism: Roots and Solutions" in Beijing.  

Speaking on the occasion, Asif emphasized the need for addressing the basic concerns of the people of the region and to yield no ground to extremist elements who attempt to take advantage of the fault lines existing in their respective societies. In order to bring peace and stability, he emphasized "a need to introduce a counter narrative along with a comprehensive social, economic and political reforms package in line with the culture, traditions and aspirations of the populace." 

The minister condemned all acts of terrorism and called on the international community to recognize the basic reasons responsible for the fissures and fault lines existent within regions affected by terrorism. He also mentioned the hitherto unresolved conflicts in Palestine and Kashmir, the persistent occurrence of gross human rights violations, and unfulfilled promises by a world community which is arguably failing to address the root causes of these conflicts.  

He made reference to the fact that Pakistan provided refuge to over 3 million Afghani civilians during the Afghan war, pointing out the continued instability in that country has had severe impacts. He also mentioned the damage caused to Pakistan, including the loss of some 60,000 lives and billions of dollars in business. He then discussed various operations that Pakistan's armed forces have carried out in tribal areas in Afghanistan since 2003, pointing that the most recent, codenamed "Zarb-e-Azb" had vastly outpaced similar efforts made by other international forces in the past 13 years. According to Asif, there needs to be greater recognition in the international community of the sacrifices made by Pakistan over the past three decades.  

In addition to defense ministers, the forum was also attended by senior military officials from participating countries, as well as noted scholars and academics. 

Topics of the forum focused on security cooperation in Asia and across the Asia-Pacific in addition to other major regional and international security issues.  

About the Xiangshan Forum  

The Xiangshan Forum is a platform first established by the China Military Science Society in 2006. The first four forums were positioned as a track-2 communication platform between international defense personnel and academics and were held biannually. 

The Sixth Xiangshan Forum, cosponsored by China Military Science Society and China Institute for International Strategic Studies, was held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing from October 16-18 this year.  

Copyedited by Eric Daly

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