ISLAMABAD -- As part of their efforts to protect China's Belt and Road Initiative projects in Pakistan, Islamabad and Beijing have finally succeeded in pushing the Taliban to launch a crackdown on Pakistani separatist groups operating from their sanctuaries in Afghanistan and remove Uyghur rebels from an area that borders China.
In return, the Taliban expects economic cooperation and humanitarian assistance from Islamabad and Beijing, and are lobbying for sanctions to be removed, security analysts believe.