KARACHI: The Chinese foreign ministry has called for the settlement of the Kashmir issue through dialogue between Pakistan and India.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chun­ying said this while addressing a regular press conference in Beijing on Friday.

Answering a question regarding India’s objection to Pakistan’s plan to declare Gilgit-Baltistan, part of Kashmir, its fifth province and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor going through these areas, Ms Hua said China’s position on the Kashmir issue was consistent and clear-cut.

“As a leftover issue from history between India and Pakistan, it needs to be properly settled through dialogue and consultation between the two sides,” she said, adding that development of CPEC did not affect China’s position on the Kashmir issue.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2017