China calls for peaceful solution of political crisis in Pakistan

BEIJING: As political instability gripped Pakistan, a worried China today called on all parties in the country to show restraint and resolve the crisis peacefully to ensure national stability.

"As a good neighbour, China sincerely hopes that all parties concerned in Pakistan will proceed from the fundamental interests of the country and the people and to resolve the crisis in a peaceful way so as to jointly safeguard the stability of the country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement.

Qin said, "China has paid high attention to the current situation in Pakistan."

China's call for restraint is seen as significant reflecting its concerns over the steady deterioration of situation in Pakistan whom it regards as an all-weather ally.

Thousands of anti-government protesters demanding resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today besieged the Parliament building of Pakistan, trapping dozens of lawmakers inside.

Pakistani cleric Tahirul Qadri today asked his supporters to guard all entry and exit points of the building and not let anyone move in or out of it until Sharif resigns.

Qadri and opposition leader Imran Khan have been leading separate protests in the country for the past seven days to force Sharif's resignation over alleged rigging in the 2013 elections.