China has Pak's blank cheque to help improve Indo-Pak ties: FM

BEIJING: Pakistan on Tuesday said it has given a "blank cheque" to China to play a role in improving the Indo-Pak ties and it is for India to decide whether they would be comfortable with Beijing acting as a "third party".

Addressing the China Institute of International Studies here, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Islamabad would welcome any role given to China to bring down tensions between India and Pakistan because of the trust and confidence it enjoyed with its close ally.

"It is for the Indians to decide if they would be comfortable to have China talking as a third party to bridge the gap. As far as Pakistan is concerned they (China) have a blank cheque," he said at the prestigious Chinese think tank.

Reacting to Qureshi's comments, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said India and Pakistan are both important friendly neighbours of China.

China supports and welcomes the improvement in relations between India an Pakistan and backs efforts to settle their outstanding issues through dialogue, he said.

The spokesman said that China and Pakistan are committed to working jointly for peace and stability in the region.

Qureshi also said at the institute that China played a "positive role" in defusing Indo-Pak tensions in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks.