Zardari welcomes unity government agreement in Afghanistan

Ex-President and co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari has warmly welcomed the power sharing agreement for carving out a unity government in Afghanistan as 'crossing a milestone by Afghanistan in the journey along the road to enter a new era'.
Spokesperson to PPP co-chairman, Senator Farhatullah Babar said that in a message on the occasion the former President described the unity government agreement in Afghanistan as a "landmark development that raised the hopes of peace and development not only in that country but also in the neighbouring regions".
Paying tributes to Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah the former President said that the agreement demonstrates that the arch rivals for political power in Afghanistan possess the wisdom and patriotism to rise above their personal ambitions for the sake of the country. Both have demonstrated that they possess the extraordinary statesmanship needed to make the democratic transition peaceful and orderly for their people, he said.
Journey along the bumpy democratic road is a challenging. It requires patience, tolerance, accommodation and reconciliation to overcome the humps that inevitably lies in the way, he said. Afghans possess both enormous tenacity and resilience. They have once again demonstrated that with their resilience they can pass moments of test, he said.
The agreement on unity government in Afghanistan at this critical time is a moment of celebration and rejoicing by all those who believe in reconciliation, tolerance and accommodation as essential elements of democratic transition. There are lessons in Afghanistan's ability to put behind the bitterness generated by contentious elections in the country and to continue the forward march.
Asif Ali Zardari recalled that it was for the reason of making democracy stronger that the PPP accepted the results of the contentious May 2013 elections even though it had reasons to complain and feel aggrieved. The Pakistan People's Party in particular and the people of Pakistan in general wish to laud the crossing of a milestone by the people of Afghanistan in their historic journey on the road to democratic transition. The former President also greeted the President elect Ashraf Ghani and the new CEO Abdullah Abdullah and expressed the hope that the democratic transition will further advance the cause of peace and stability in the region.