ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the Taliban alone could not be blamed for the rising violence, saying putting the entire burden on them would be contrary to the facts, as all stakeholders needed to play their due role to reduce the violence in Afghanistan.
The foreign minister was speaking to the state media after his meeting with the visiting delegation of Taliban Political Commission (TPC) headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
“This responsibility [reducing the violence] does not lie on Taliban alone; all the stakeholders should play their role…Putting all the burden on the Taliban will be contrary to the facts, which has many reasons [to say], that why is the violence continuing. On this, they [the Taliban] presented their point of view,” Qureshi maintained.
He said that Pakistan desired reduction in violence which should lead towards ceasefire. “We think and it was conveyed to them [the Taliban] that for a stable Afghanistan, a comprehensive and inclusive settlement is required, without which, lasting peace is not possible,” he declared.
He asserted that the international community could not exempt itself from taking the responsibility for restoring peace in Afghanistan, adding it would have to play its due role also in its reconstruction and development, if they wanted to see a stable and a peaceful Afghanistan.
This, he said, would also lead to the repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
He said that the Taliban were fully convinced that continuation of the ongoing war was neither in their benefit nor in the interest of Afghanistan.
“After my discussion with them, I can clearly see their inclination and seriousness towards peace,” he added.
Qureshi said that the Taliban delegation was all praise for the role Pakistan had been playing sincerely in the peace process.
“They believe that Pakistan’s role has been very positive in taking this process forward. They are also thankful to Pakistan for taking care of the Afghan refugees,” he further maintained.
The foreign minister said that Sheikh Hakeem, the Taliban’s main negotiator, was also part of the Taliban delegation. The foreign minister said the Taliban delegation would also meet Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said that it was a historic opportunity for the Afghan parties to take the matters towards peaceful settlement.
He said the next round of talks between the Afghan parties would be held on January 5, 2021, adding that the venue of talks was yet to be decided as various proposals were under consideration.
A statement, released by the Foreign Office after the meeting, stated that the foreign minister while reaffirming Pakistan’s support for a peaceful, stable, united, sovereign, and prosperous Afghanistan reiterated Pakistan’s belief that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.
He underlined that Pakistan would continue to facilitate the Afghan peace process and expressed the hope that the Afghan parties would seize this historic opportunity to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan through an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.
Welcoming the announcement of the agreement on Rules and Procedures between the two negotiating sides in Doha, Foreign Minister Qureshi conveyed that the agreement reflected a common resolve of the parties to secure a negotiated solution.
He emphasized importance of measures by all sides for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire.
The foreign minister added that Pakistan would respect the decisions taken by the Afghan parties through the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
The foreign minister also underlined the need for guarding against the machinations of “spoilers” from disrupting the process.
The foreign minister highlighted the steps being taken by Pakistan to deepen the economic relations and people-to-people exchanges including visa facilitation and enhancing trade and transit for the welfare of fraternal Afghan people.
Emphasizing Pakistan’s commitment to safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland, the foreign minister expressed the hope that peace and stability in Afghanistan would help create conducive conditions for a time-bound and well-resourced roadmap supported by the international community.
He also stressed the importance of the international community playing its role in reconstruction and economic development of Afghanistan.
It stated that the delegation thanked Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees for more than four decades.
The Taliban Political Commission’s delegation appreciated Pakistan’s facilitative role in the Afghan peace process, and shared its perspective on various aspects of the Intra-Afghan Negotiations.
The Taliban Political Commission delegation is visiting Pakistan from 16-18 December 2020 as part of Pakistan’s efforts of outreach to all Afghan stakeholders for a peaceful resolution of the Afghan conflict.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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