Peace process in Afghanistan: Pakistan has set no pre-condition, clarifies FO

Pakistan on Friday rejected the Afghan presidential spokesperson's assertion by that Islamabad had set a 'pre-condition' for peace process in Afghanistan, asking Kabul to cut-off its ties with New Delhi. In response to a query regarding the statement attributed to the Spokesperson of the President of Afghanistan, Foreign Office's spokesperson Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that Pakistan had not laid down any pre-conditions for the peace process.
"Pakistan is wholeheartedly supporting and facilitating the peace process without any conditions or preference for any particular group or party," he declared, that the proposal for a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between Pakistan and Afghanistan had emanated from President Karzai himself and the government of Pakistan had welcomed the proposal.
However, Afghan presidential spokesperson Aimal Faizi had claimed in a statement that Pakistan was trying to 'sabotage' the peace process and put pre-conditions, asking Afghanistan to cut off ties with India. Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that Pakistan had not made such a demand. "Pakistan has no objection or issue with Afghanistan developing relations with any country. We have only stressed that those external forces which are using the soil of Afghanistan to destabilise Pakistan should be discouraged," he maintained.
On sending Afghan army officers to Pakistan for training, the Spokesperson said that this was a goodwill offer made by the government of Pakistan to contribute to the training needs of the security forces of Afghanistan. The spokesperson said that Pakistan remained fully committed to facilitating peace, reconciliation and stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan's goodwill offers should not be construed as pre-conditions, the Spokesperson emphasised.