ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has rejected the criticism of Pakistan for situation in Afghanistan, saying that Islamabad wanted to be a partner in peace and could be the most trusted interlocutor in the evolving situation.
“Stop scapegoating Pakistan. We want to partner in peace. Islamabad can be the most trusted interlocutor in this evolving situation,” the foreign minister said in an interview with Al Jazeera television.
He reiterated that Pakistan wanted an inclusive government in Afghanistan that respected human rights though the initial statements from leadership indicated a new approach. “We had been a facilitator of peace which was acknowledged internationally too,” he added.
FM Qureshi said Pakistan had been calling to keep the negotiation process in tandem with the date of withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. “Despite the fact that it was not consulted before giving the date of withdrawal, Pakistan remained positive,” he added.
He said currently Pakistan was engaged in evacuation which was the immediate challenge for the international community. “Pakistan embassy in Kabul is working round the clock with planes flying into Kabul and getting people out including diplomatic personnel and international organizations,” he pointed out.
“Are we being acknowledged? No. We are not even being mentioned in the list of countries that are helping evacuate people,” the foreign minister regretted.
Responding to a question, he said Pakistan had been blamed enough and recalled the “most absurd statement” of Ashraf Ghani alleging the infiltration of 10,000 terrorists even before the withdrawal of troops from there.
“Pakistan was part of an international coalition for peace and was engaged with not only Taliban but entire Afghan leadership as the country wanted forward-looking and see a peaceful Kabul, which would lead to achieve Pakistan’s goal of regional connectivity,” he added.
The foreign minister said Pakistan was a victim of war on terror. “We have 80, 000 casualties. We had economic loss of over $150 billion. We had to deal with two million internally displaced people. We are hosting over three million Afghan refugees the world has forgotten. And we are not responsible for 9/11,” he added.
He said Pakistan was asked to do more when it engaged with the international community with sincerity. “We were doubted. We were questioned. We were telling the world that the kind of government-imposed in Afghanistan does not enjoy political support. There is corruption. There is misgovernance. Nobody listened,” he remarked.
