Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an opinion piece wrote for an international newspaper, had warned the world that a hasty international withdrawal from Afghanistan would be unwise and abandoning the Afghan peace process for any reason would be a great travesty.
Pakistan had made every effort to facilitate a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan. Pakistan had always supported the Afghan people in their quest for a unified, independent and sovereign Afghanistan that is at peace with itself and its neighbors.
The premier also highlighted that no people have paid a higher price for the conflict in Afghanistan than the people of Pakistan. Through decades, Pakistan has dealt with the responsibility of taking care of more than 4 million Afghan refugees. Guns and drugs have also flowed into our country. The wars have disrupted our economic trajectory and radicalized fringes of our own society.
Earlier this month, the much-awaited, all-important intra-Afghan dialogue began in Doha, Qatar. This was the first time that the Taliban and representatives from the Afghan government are directly engaged in negotiating the future of their country.
In the United States-Taliban agreement, signed in February 2020, the intra-Afghan dialogue was dubbed critical to completing the Afghan reconciliation process and bringing lasting peace and prosperity in the war-torn country. The overall peace process in Afghanistan rested on two pillars: the U.S-Taliban agreement and the intra-Afghan dialogue.
Developments in the Afghan peace process have always had a direct bearing on the trajectory of Washington’s ties with Islamabad. Relations between the two countries have improved, owing to Pakistan’s positive role in helping the United States and the Afghan Taliban strike a deal.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) of Afghanistan Dr Abdullah Abdullah will arrive today on a three-day official visit to Pakistan. The visit will provide an opportunity for wide-ranging exchange of views on the Afghan peace process and strengthening of Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations.
As PM Imran wrote, peace and political stability in Afghanistan could not be imposed from the outside through the use of force. Only an Afghan-owned reconciliation process, which recognizes country’s political realities and diversity, could produce lasting peace in the country, and will directly benefit Pakistan.
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