Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday reiterated Pakistan’s unshakable resolve to support lasting peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan, besides lending support to the reconstruction and development efforts in the war-torn country.
In his speech at the inaugural session of the Afghan peace conference titled ‘Lahore Process’, he maintained that Pakistan stands for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and remains fully committed to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. “We are determined to build our bilateral relationship on the principles of non-interference, mutual respect and common interest,” he said.
About decades’ long conflict in Afghanistan, the minister said it brought great sufferings to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said no one has suffered more than the people of Pakistan due to this persistent instability and conflict. Linking Pakistan’s security with instability in Afghanistan, Qureshi said it continues to be deeply influenced by the security situation in Afghanistan. “Advancing the cause of peace and stability in Afghanistan is, therefore, in Pakistan’s own national interest,” he reiterated.
Qureshi clarified that no one in Pakistan subscribes to any notion of so-called ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan. “We must not let anyone resurrect this dead horse to advance their propagandist aims or seek to sow the seeds of misunderstanding between us and our Afghan brethren,” he added.
Qureshi said Pakistan wants to see a friendly Afghanistan governed by an elected leadership and representative of the aspirations of all Afghans. About the previous mistrust between the two neighbours, he said for too long, the vicious circle of mistrust, often fed into by the common enemies, has affected the bilateral relationship. “It is indispensable to move away from this negative paradigm,” he emphasised.
The minister said Pakistan is whole-heartedly facilitating the Afghan peace process in good faith and as a shared responsibility and will continue to play its due role in this regard. He said Pakistan supports an Afghanistan that is at peace with itself. “Pakistan’s perspective on Afghanistan is clear, we support an Afghanistan that is at peace with itself, and at peace with its neighbours,” he said.
“It is incumbent upon the leadership of the two countries to take practical steps to build mutual trust and confidence. We must not allow our respective territories to be used by anyone to the detriment of our interests,” Qureshi said. “We must also remain vigilant of the other forces that wish to create misunderstandings and divisions between us. We must not allow them to harm our brotherly relations. We both have the same objective of long-term peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region. If there is, at times, variance in approaches, it must not be construed as difference in objectives,” he added.
Discussing Pakistan’s commitment to the Afghan peace process, Qureshi said, “While others believed in a military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, we always thought that a politically negotiated settlement is the only way forward. It is gratifying to note that others have also reached the same conclusion now.” “Prime Minister Imran Khan has for long been personally committed to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. My first visit after assuming office again in August 2018 was to Kabul. I have since visited Kabul three times. I also visited other regional countries including China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE in an effort to build regional consensus on the ongoing peace process,” he added.
A number of prominent Afghan leadership including Afghan High Peace Council Chairman Karim Khalili, Gulbuddin Hikmatyar and Ustad Atta Noor attended the conference.
