Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday by a phone call with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani discussed progress in the ongoing Afghan peace process and strengthening of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast support for the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for a political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
In this regard, the prime minister welcomed the recent progress in the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha.
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Prime Minister Imran Khan underlined that Pakistan’s outreach to all Afghan stakeholders was part of its facilitative efforts to ensure progress towards an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement. The latest visit of Taliban Political Commission (TPC) to Pakistan was also in this context.
The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s call on all the Afghan sides for taking measures for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire. The two leaders agreed to continue their engagement for supporting the peace process and enhancing bilateral cooperation.
Taliban delegation 3-day visit to Islamabad
A delegation of the Afghan Taliban met with Pakistan’s top diplomat Wednesday to discuss the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan.
The delegation, led by the group’s deputy chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived on a three-day visit to Islamabad on Wednesday morning and visited Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for a peaceful, stable, united, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qurishi reiterated Pakistan’s belief that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/DyGX7lPggf
— Afghanistan Times (@AfghanistanTime) December 16, 2020
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for a “peaceful, stable, united, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan,” Qureshi said Islamabad would continue to “facilitate” the peace effort, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry.
He voiced hope that the Afghan parties would seize on this “historic” opportunity to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan through an “inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive” political settlement.
Emphasizing the importance of all sides’ violence-reduction efforts leading up to the current cease-fire, Qureshi said Pakistan would “respect” the decisions taken by the Afghan parties through the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
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He also underlined the need for caution against “spoilers” seeking to disrupt the process.
The Taliban delegation thanked Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees for more than four decades. It also appreciated Pakistan’s “facilitative role” in the checkered peace process and shared its perspective on various aspects of the intra-Afghan negotiations.
APP with additional input by GVS News Desk