Advising Pakistan not to become a party in intra-Afghan affairs, the speakers at a seminar have called on the country to play a constructive role in Afghan peace process, saying Afghanistan's stability means Pakistan's stability.
Speaking at a special seminar titled "Afghan Peace Process: Implications and Stability," organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Thursday, the speakers said that peace process in Afghanistan is a golden opportunity for Pakistan to play smart diplomacy with continuity as the country has a lot to gain from it.
They said that Pakistan should not interfere in intra-Afghan affairs, which is not in interest of the country instead it can help Afghanistan economically and facilitate its refugees which will help build confidence between the two countries.
Speaking on the occasion, former Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said that no attention is paid towards social and economic development of Afghanis by all the stakeholders. Afghan's economic stability is more important amid political process and peace process, which has been destroyed for long. He suggested that Pakistan should put more focus on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and should convince China to make Afghanistan a part of the CPEC, adding that peace and stability in Afghanistan is in the interest of both China and Pakistan. He cautioned if there is no consensus during peace process till mid of this year, the US may withdraw its troops which may result in civil war and chaos in Afghanistan. However, there is a need of orderly US withdrawal from Afghanistan, he added.
Former ambassador Ayaz Wazir said that Pakistan should support Afghan-owned and Afghans-led peace resolution as well as pursue its own interests instead of meddling with intra-Afghan affairs. "Pakistan is not prepared to handle Afghanistan, as we failed to handle our tribal areas," he said.
He said that at present, the writ of Afghan government is at historic low, adding that Taliban in Afghanistan have control over 70 percent of the total territory which pushed the stakeholders, especially the US, to talk and negotiate. As Afghanistan's presidential elections are due this year, Afghans including Taliban would never accept any political setup similar to the incumbent government.
Responding to a question, he said that during peace process, India would remain quiet and wait for its opportunist time. He proposed if both the countries' intelligence agencies signed an memorandum of understanding (MOU) of mutual cooperation on sharing cross-border intelligence, it will prove a real cornerstone for building confidence between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Senior analyst Imtiaz Gul was of the view that the progress towards the recent Afghan peace process is a sea-change during the last couple of weeks. He said that efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan are a shared and regional responsibility of all stakeholders. Efforts should be made to take Iran and Russia on board to make the negotiations a success and meaningful. Responsibility also lies on Taliban that they should give guaranty to the stakeholders that all minorities in Afghanistan would remain unharmed and there would remain ceasefire till the conclusion of peace talks, he added. He further said, "We have to develop a comprehensive strategy and policy for Afghan refugees to counter the negative propaganda."
Former Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel said that every country including Pakistan and Afghanistan have a major stake in peace and stability. Stressing the need for mutual cooperation, he said that there is a tremendous potential of medical tourism between Pakistan and Afghanistan where Peshawar city can be a hub for medical tourism. "We should not think about strategic depth instead think about economic depth, where we have around $5 billion trade potential." He said that Pakistan should not only contribute for restoration of peace but also sustainability of peace which would reinforce the unity among the two states.
Dr Shafqat Munir said that Afghanistan has always remained a key diplomatic challenge for Pakistan on security and internal political front. As Afghan peace process enters a new phase, it is hoped that peace and stability would prevail in the region, he added.
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