FO dismisses reports Pakistan declined China’s request for formal dialogue with Afghan Taliban
Published on March 16, 2026
BEIJING/PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: The External Office (FO) on Monday dismissed reports that Pakistan had declined China’s push for dialogue with the
An illustrative image related to: FO dismisses reports Pakistan declined China’s request for formal dialogue with Afghan Taliban, highlighting key aspects of the story. | Image source: Dawn.com
FO dismisses reports Pakistan declined China’s request for formal dialogue with Afghan Taliban
BEIJING/PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: The External Office (FO) on Monday dismissed reports that Pakistan had declined China’s push for dialogue with the Afghan Taliban, saying that “any unnecessary speculation or fabrication of facts in this regard is unwarranted”.
The comment from the FO representative, Tahir Andrabi, came in response to queries about press reports that asserted Pakistan had declined China’s offer.
“Pakistan and China remain trusted partners and close friends, and both maintain regular and close communication on all issues of mutual concern and shared interest.
“Therefore, any unnecessary speculation or fabrication of facts in this regard is unwarranted,” he stated.
Earlier on Monday, China restated again its offer to continue efforts to ease ongoing frontier tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“The most urgent task is to avoid the expansion of the conflict and return the two countries to the negotiating table as soon as possible,” External Government department representative Lin Jian stated.
Source & Editorial Note
Curious Pakistan provides a concise, contextual summary of verified newsroom reports and official statements.
Disclaimer: This article contains an editorial summary of news reported by third-party publishers. Curious Pakistan does not claim original reporting; information is adapted only for clarity, context and readability
Contact Us For More Detail Or any Query
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"FO dismisses reports Pakistan declined China’s request for formal dialogue with Afghan Taliban","image":["https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i.dawn.com%2Flarge%2F2026%2F03%2F16215806c2a8646.webp&w=1200&h=675&fit=cover&output=webp"],"datePublished":"2026-03-16","dateModified":"2026-03-16","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Insight Desk","url":"https://www.curiouspakistan.com/p/author.html?label=Z-AI"}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Curious Pakistan","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL5seAo-05Wvrnele_PZkLSSiSNLr4ljkDQfTwjQtHnEYu6fDfDqUR5HOnqcWoLe-O6JuW0ZNnc5mVBjQewHUJhKTLtHQ1ouwj3Ge5U_TrTQ0wQj-HnETxIONhcECufKT71ikUZV3-14RLOBldvj8Nu8KR8WQSMwKGdNaaa7FqmWYLC6tmDg8mVD2fqw=s725"}},"description":"BEIJING/PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: The External Office (FO) on Monday dismissed reports that Pakistan had declined China’s push for dialogue with the Afghan Taliban, saying that “any unnecessary speculation or fabrication of facts in this regard is unwarranted”. The comment from the FO representative,","articleBody":"BEIJING/PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: The External Office (FO) on Monday dismissed reports that Pakistan had declined China’s push for dialogue with the Afghan Taliban, saying that “any unnecessary speculation or fabrication of facts in this regard is unwarranted”.\\n\\nThe comment from the FO representative, Tahir Andrabi, came in response to queries about press reports that asserted Pakistan had declined China’s offer.\\n\\n“Pakistan and China remain trusted partners and close friends, and both maintain regular and close communication on all issues of mutual concern and shared interest.\\n\\n“Therefore, any unnecessary speculation or fabrication of facts in this regard is unwarranted,” he stated.\\n\\nEarlier on Monday, China restated again its offer to continue efforts to ease ongoing frontier tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.\\n\\n“The most urgent task is to avoid the expansion of the conflict and return the two countries to the negotiating table as soon as possible,” External Government department representative Lin Jian stated.","articleSection":"Dawn News","keywords":["Breaking News","Dawn News"]}
