Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday Pakistan believes that peaceful and negotiated settlement is only way forward in Afghanistan and urged all the parties to remain fully committed to peace process in the war-torn country. Foreign Minister Qureshi's statement comes following Afghan Taliban announcement of 'spring offensive' amid the peace process and calls from Washington that Pakistan and other nations who want peace in Afghanistan, should condemn the move.
"Pakistan believes that peaceful and negotiated settlement is only way forward in Afghanistan. There is no military solution, all parties should fully commit to peace process. We have, therefore, strongly supported all efforts for peace, with participation of all Afghans," Qureshi stated in a brief and carefully crafted statement, released by Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Twitter.
US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad on Friday last condemned the Taliban's announcement of 'spring offensive,' saying that the call for more fighting will not advance peace efforts. "The Taliban's spring offensive announcement is reckless. It is irresponsible to suggest that an increase in violence is warranted because the government announced a security plan. The Afghan people have clearly voiced their desire for peace," Khalilzad said in a statement on his Twitter account.
Through this announcement, he stated that Taliban leaders demonstrate their indifference to the demands of Afghans across the country. "The call for more fighting will not advance peace efforts. If executed, it will only yield more suffering and thousands more causalities... At a time when all Afghans should come together in talks to determine a common future, a call for fighting suggests the Taliban are stuck in the ways of the past. Many Taliban including fighters and some leaders oppose this announcement," the US envoy stated.
"All Afghans should condemn this announcement. On behalf of the United States, I condemn this announcement of a spring offensive, and call on Pakistan, Qatar, and other nations that want peace in Afghanistan to do the same," Khalilzad stated.
He said, "The US and our international partners will stand with Afghan security forces to continue our effort to end the war in Afghanistan, at the same time as we seek to bring parties to the table to negotiate peace."
"The killing of Afghans must stop. All sides must end unnecessary violence, and instead engage in Intra-Afghan dialogue which leads to negotiations on a political settlement and a roadmap to end the war this year. Afghan people want peace, and the US stands with them," he stated in another tweet.
On the other hand, Taliban, while announcing their spring offensive, stated that the fighting would continue till foreign forces remain in Afghanistan. This announcement comes at a time when the Taliban are scheduled to hold another round of peace talks with the US in Doha later this month, besides participating in an intra-Afghan peace talks organised by Russia on April 19.
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