ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on Saturday, cautioned the world community of India’s negative role as a major spoiler in the Afghan peace process, saying that if the situation in Afghanistan worsens, the whole region would be affected.
The foreign minister, in a statement, also stated that India is among the top spoilers in Afghanistan, which is sponsoring various terror groups for supporting terrorism.
“India is playing a negative role to defame Pakistan at the international level,” Qureshi said, adding that India is hell bent upon spoiling regional peace and stability by facilitating and funding terrorist groups.
“That’s why we will have to be very careful, as there are concerns [about further deterioration] of the situation,” the foreign minister stated.
“If there is peace and stability in Afghanistan, it would benefit the whole region while if the situation worsens, it would affect the whole region,” he said.
Referring to the statements coming from Afghan Taliban, the foreign minister said that if there is a positive gesture coming from Afghanistan, it should be encouraged.
“We have to get lessons from the past mistakes and these should not be repeated,” he stated, adding that if Afghanistan was left isolated, it would affect all alike.
Qureshi also referred to his recently concluded visit to the central Asian states and Iran, saying that the thinking of the neighbouring countries is based on “realities”.
He expressed the confidence that a peaceful Afghanistan is in the best interest of the region in general and Pakistan in particular.
He said that the people of Afghanistan have been facing the war for the last many decades, “but now they want peace”.
He further stated that Pakistan is helping in evacuation of the stranded diplomatic staff of various countries from Kabul, adding that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is playing a crucial role in the entire evacuation process.
He said Pakistan has not closed its border with Afghanistan, but steps have been taken to strengthen Pakistan-Afghanistan border management.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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