ISLAMABAD: National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf on Tuesday has turned down India’s invitation to a conference on Afghanistan being hosted by New Delhi on November 10.
The NSA made these remarks while addressing a ceremony during which Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a protocol on the establishment of a Joint Security Commission to enhance bilateral cooperation in security-related matters.
In a response to a question during a press conference, Yusuf said that a “spoiler” could not take on the role of a “peacemaker”, adding, “I will not visit New Delhi on India’s invitation.”
Speaking on the occasion, the security adviser said that Pakistan was criticised sometimes for being proactive in promoting engagement with Afghanistan. “It may be a luxury for the Western world to not bother about Afghanistan but we do not have any option to disengage from Kabul,” he highlighted.
Yusuf reiterated that the world needed to coordinate and constructively engage with the present Afghan government to avert a humanitarian crisis, warning that a worse situation might develop if this was not done. “This is not a matter of the Taliban or some other government but of the ordinary Afghan citizens,” he added.
Moeed Yusuf pointed out that Afghanistan was in a state of war for four decades and its direct impact had been felt by Pakistan in lives lost, economic losses and rise in terrorism.
“When we talk about stability in Afghanistan then one reason is that it is the right of our Afghan brothers and sisters. Secondly, it is also necessary for our national security that there is stability in Afghanistan and continuous peace is established,” he added.
He reiterated that engagement with Afghanistan was not a political matter for Pakistan but a humanitarian one and a matter of our national security. Yusuf maintained that Pakistan and Uzbekistan were on the same page on Afghanistan’s issue.
‘Joint Security Commission’
Speaking about the establishment of the Joint Security Commission, Moeed Yusuf said that the mechanism would help curb transnational crime, drug trafficking and terrorism.
Moeed added that Pakistan already has MoUs signed with Uzbekisation on military education and defence cooperation which would be further improved under the new mechanism and adding that the National Security Division would be the main coordinator.
Moeed elaborated that Pakistan is focused on geo-economic vision, adding that the location of Pakistan was very important in the geo-economics paradigm. He said Pakistan was unable to engage with the Central Asian States in the past, but these states, particularly Uzbekistan, were crucial to fulfilling Pakistan’s geo-economic vision.
He maintained that Central Asia was a priority for Pakistan, adding that Pakistan would engage with the Central Asian States via bilateral and multilateral agreements.
