ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China and Russia will hold talks in Moscow on December 27 to discuss regional peace and stability, including situation in Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on Thursday.

The foreign secretary will lead the Pakistani delegation in this meeting. “We have said this earlier also that peace and stability in Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan and the entire region. In this spirit, we remain committed and extend all cooperation to the efforts towards bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan,” the spokesman told his weekly briefing in Islamabad.

He said Pakistan has played a very positive role in bringing warring factions to the negotiating table.

“Whenever we are approached to help bring the warring factions to the negotiating table, we will assist,” Zakaria said.

When his attention was drawn to claim in a recent Pentagon that Afghan militant groups like Taliban and Haqqani network retain freedom of action from inside Pakistani territory, he said Pakistan does not allow its territory to be used for attacks against any other country.

“This is more of rhetoric than anything else. Afghanistan is infested with most terrorist organizations due to the instability there, which has created space for these terrorist elements,” he said.

“A large number of terrorists have moved to other side of the border after successful launch of major operation near Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The results of our military action are there for everyone to see through peace and stability at the borders” the spokesman said.

He said several senior commanders of Haqqani Network, Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups killed in Afghanistan this year, which “clearly indicates where these organisations’ leadership actually is.”