Pakistan accuses Iran of cross-border attacks at trilateral counterterrorism conference in Beijing

Iran, Pakistan and China, on Wednesday, held their first trilateral counterterrorism and regional security consultations in Beijing where Islamabad condemned Tehran for providing sanctuaries to insurgents for staging cross-border attacks in a bid to debase CPEC.

On the other hand, during the talks, Tehran accused Islamabad of not doing enough to prevent terrorists from conducting cross-border terrorism into Iran, as per Voice of America (VOA) reports as cited by ANI.

Baloch anarchists oppose CPEC, asserting that it is aiding Pakistan's efforts to deprive the local population of the region's natural resources.

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"The delegations held detailed discussions on the regional security situation, particularly the threat of terrorism faced by the region," said a post-meeting statement in Islamabad, which shared no further details, Voice of America (VOA) reported.

The Pakistani and Chinese foreign ministries said that the three nations had decided to institutionalise and hold the meeting regularly, as per VOA reports,

Senior Chinese, Pakistani and Iranian counterterrorism officials, each from their respective foreign ministries, led their teams at Wednesday's dialogue.

As per analysts, the main agenda of the discussion was Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province which is at the paramountcy of a multibillion-dollar Chinese-funded programme, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), reported VOA.

"The establishment of a trilateral security mechanism between China, Pakistan and Iran reflects their shared concerns regarding security in Balochistan," observed Baqir Sajjad, a Pakistan fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington.

He said that stability in Balochistan was extremely important in the successful implementation of CPEC projects, reported VOA.

"Collaboration among these countries can potentially contribute to improved regional security and counter the activities of insurgents who find refuge in Iran," he said.

Balochistan, which is a Pakistani province bordering Iran, for the longest time has experienced a low-level insurgency, led by outlawed ethnic Baloch groups.

Islamabad asserts that the insurgents use shelters on Iranian soil to stage cross-border attacks in their bid to debase CPEC. The Iranian authorities deny the presence of Baloch extremists on their soil, as per VOA reports.

CPEC has built road networks and power plants across Pakistan and to the Arabian Sea deep-water Gwadar port in Balochistan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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