BEIJING: Chinese premier Li Peng told a Pakistani special envoy that Islamabad and New Delhi should “‘settle their disputes over Kashmir through friendly consultation, not force, to prevent the situation from getting worse.”
Li told Iqbal Akhund, advisor on foreign affairs and national security to the Pakistani prime minister, that the “Chinese government is very concerned about the situation in Kashmir and hopes that the situation will calm down soon.”
Akhund informed the Chinese government about the “latest developments in Kashmir and the position of the Pakistani government on this issue,” according to official Xinhua news agency.
Li said the Kashmir issue is a settlement problem-left over by history and Chinese government expects Pakistan and India to settle disputes in line with the five principles of peaceful co-existence through negotiations not resorting to force, to prevent the situation from getting worse.
Media back Pak
The Chinese government and communist party controlled newspapers which initially gave brief and almost balanced coverage of both Pakistani and Indian views on the Kashmir issue, have over the past 10 days, heavily tilted in Pakistan’s favor, diplomatic observers and analysts here said.
The Chinese media has accorded extensive and positive coverage of Pakistani leaders and official’s claims and charges against India while ignoring or downplaying statements made in New Delhi.
The Chinese media has maintained near silence on India’s appeals for restraint on the part of Pakistan but made frequent references to Indian army attempts at blocking Pakistani intruders.
Diplomatic observers said the Kashmir coverage in the Chinese media only proved that Sino-Pak nexus against India is unlikely to be eroded soon and it is too early to count the benefits of the rapprochement initiated following the visit of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to China in December 1988.
Moreover, they attributed the extent to Pro-Pakistan news coverage over the past few days to successful propaganda pressure by the Pakistani government.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 23, 1990
