ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on Monday, emphatically stated that there should be an end to blaming Pakistan for the problems within Afghanistan and also expressed the country's readiness to partner with the United States, Afghanistan, and other regional countries in the fight against terrorism.
Qureshi was speaking at the inaugural session of Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral dialogue, in which he also made it clear that peace in Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and Pakistan should not be held responsible or blamed for any failure or mistake.
The foreign minister also emphasised that the concept of "strategic depth" was obsolete and Pakistan was committed to move together with Afghanistan to attain the goals of peace and economic prosperity, adding that Pakistan is calling for "geo-economics", as stability is not possible without peace in the region.
"Peace is vital to promote trade and investment," he asserted.
Reiterating his displeasure over the recent negative statements by Afghan national security adviser, Qureshi insisted that Pakistan wants to resolve the mutual issues with Afghanistan under the mechanism of Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan of Action for Peace and Solidarity (APPAPS), adding that such negative statements could be detrimental to the efforts for restoration of peace.
"Blame game is so easy but it would not benefit any side. I believe that the trust deficit is a major hindrance in restoration of the peace....Now, the time has arrived to put an end to the blame game and we have to come out of the past and move forward," Qureshi said, adding that Pakistan believes that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan.
He said that Pakistan is committed to helping the Afghans rebuild their country and was sincerely working with the international community to ensure peace.
He said that the Afghan conflict was political in nature and Pakistan was also advocating for a political solution through comprehensive dialogue.
He agreed with Afghan ambassador that violence and reconciliation could not go side by side, and added that Pakistan stressed on moving towards a ceasefire by eradicating the incidents of violence.
Qureshi also stated that he is satisfied that the Afghan envoy also recognised the importance of the APPAP to be used for resolving issues, adding that Pakistan always played a constructive and positive role in the Afghan peace process.
Qureshi recalled that Prime Minister Imran Khan was labelled as "Taliban Khan" when he first stated that Afghan conflict has no military solution and the world later recognised that a peaceful political resolution is the only solution to the Afghan conflict.
He recalled that during his recent interaction with members of the US Congress during the emergency session of the General Assembly in New York, which he termed as "a complete paradigm shift" compared to the past.
He added that Senator Lindsay Graham himself stated that they do not see Pakistan as part of the problem, but part of the solution.
Referring to the ongoing efforts for peace, Qureshi emphasised that the Afghan leadership must seize this rare opportunity to pave the way for a comprehensive political solution.
Underscoring the need for bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he added that peace in Afghanistan would enable Pakistan to benefit from projects such as regional connectivity including CASA-1000 and TAPI gas pipeline.
The foreign minister also made it clear that Pakistan has no intention of interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs, adding that no party in Afghanistan is Pakistan's favourite.
"We have invited people from every faction from Afghanistan to visit Pakistan," he asserted, adding that Pakistan wants a peaceful, prosperous and independent Afghanistan and continued to take all possible steps for peace in its neighbourhood.
"Pakistan is also ready to partner with United States, Afghanistan and other regional countries in fight against terrorism. We are the guardians of the values ??of the Founder of Pakistan, Hazrat Muhammad Ali Jinnah," he stated.
The foreign minister also hosted the participants of the dialogue for a cup of tea at the Foreign Office.
British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner, Canadian High Commissioner Wendy Gilmour, EU Ambassador AndroullaKaminara, and envoys from various other countries were present on the occasion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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