Human losses in earthquake: Gandapur visits Afghan embassy, extends condolence

PESHAWAR Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday visited the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad and met with Afghanistan Acting Ambassador, Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Advisor on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif and MNA Faisal Amin Gandapur. The Chief Minister extended condolences over the loss of lives in the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.

He offered fateha for the eternal peace of the departed souls and expressed heartfelt sympathy with the victims’ families.

Gandapur said the loss of precious human lives was deeply saddening, adding that the provincial government and the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stand shoulder to shoulder with their Afghan brothers and sisters in this hour of grief and are ready to provide all possible assistance to the affected people.

The Afghan Acting Ambassador thanked the provincial government and the Chief Minister for their generous support to the earthquake victims, saying that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Afghan people, and its government are sincerely grateful for this goodwill gesture.

Matters of mutual interest, regional peace, and the challenges faced by Afghan nationals returning to their homeland also came under discussion in the meeting.

Both sides stressed the importance of dialogue for lasting peace in the region and promote trade activities between the two sides.

The Chief Minister underlined that dialogue was the only way forward for sustainable peace in the region and reiterated that the provincial government supports talks and negotiation to resolve the longstanding issue.

He noted that the federal government had expressed willingness to hold talks with Afghanistan, and positive progress was expected in this regard.

Gandapur further emphasized that eliminating terrorism required creating employment opportunities and that enhancing trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan could help generate livelihoods, which would serve the broader interests of both nations.

He assured that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was providing maximum facilities to Afghan nationals returning home and making every effort at the provincial level to resolve their problems, while matters linked to the federal domain had been raised with the relevant authorities.

He reaffirmed that the provincial government would extend full cooperation to address the issues faced by Afghan citizens during repatriation process.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025