Talks between US, Afghan Taliban: Pakistan not guarantor but only facilitator: Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan is not a guarantor but is only facilitating direct talks between the US and Afghan Taliban. Talking to reporters, Qureshi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan desires to have a meeting with the Taliban to woo them for the intra-Afghan dialogue. However, he did not give any date of an expected visit of the Taliban's delegation.
"There is direct talk going on between the US and the Taliban. Pakistan is only facilitating the process and is not a guarantor. Pakistan cannot bear the entire loss alone that's why we have been saying that it is a shared responsibility," he said, adding that it will be unrealistic to say that Pakistan can obtain the required results alone.
He further said that Pakistan is sincerely facilitating the process in good faith and the entire onus of the Afghan peace process cannot be put on Pakistan. About Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent visit to the US, he said that convergence was seen on Afghan issue during the meeting between Prime Minister Khan and US President Donald Trump, adding that the summit level talks have opened a new chapter in Pakistan-US relations.
Qureshi said the US visit remained very successful in achieving the objectives and this stands also reflected in the restoration of suspended assistance. He said, "We need to make clear our objectives. If the US aim is peace and stability in Afghanistan, we should also focus our policy on that direction."
"If we divert our attention somewhere else [away from Afghanistan] at this critical stage, we may face the same situation when the US in the past made a mistake by shifting its focus to Iraq while leaving the Afghan conflict unresolved. We are still bearing the price of that [mistake]. Today, the Afghan issue has entered a critical stage and the results are expected to come. We may face a huge loss if we divert our attention somewhere else," he added.
To a question, he regretted that India is neither ready to hold talks on Kashmir dispute bilaterally in the spirit of Simla Agreement nor does it accept the third party mediation.
He also expressed grave concerns over the situation in occupied Kashmir, adding that he would brief the Kashmir Committee on new developments in the IOK and also take the National Assembly into confidence.
He said that Kashmir is a disputed territory and there are a number of resolutions of the UN Security Council about Kashmir dispute. He said that Pakistan has a stated policy that it will not accept any measures aimed at bringing demographic changes in the occupied territory, adding that Kashmiri people are also against any demographic changes in the valley.
"Today, the entire Kashmir is in protest and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has called an all-party conference, except BJP, to discuss the situation and take all the parties in Kashmir into confidence on the new developments. There is a rapid change going on in situation in the occupied valley," Qureshi added.
Later, addressing "Pakistan-Africa Roundtable Dialogue for Commemorating Africa Day," organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), he said that an Envoys Conference will be held after the UN General Assembly session in September to explore further ways to reinforce Pakistan's efforts within the framework of the policy.
He said that Prime Minister Khan has been interacting with the leaders from Africa, most recently from Ethiopia and Egypt. More such meetings are envisaged in future, he added.
He said the aim is to prepare a far-reaching 'Look Africa Policy' to improve trade and economic relations with the African countries. He said that the commerce adviser has also taken a very important decision of shifting the commercial counsellors in Europe to the African countries in order to exploit the trade potential with the important continent.
He said that Pakistan is happy to see the launching of operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) early this month at the Niamey AU Summit. "We value our relations with Africa and cherish the mutual support we extend to each other at multilateral forums," he added.
Within the framework of South-South cooperation, he added that Pakistan has assisted in building capacity of African states and citizens. As of today, he pointed out that over 700 African diplomats from 52 states are alumni of Pakistan's Foreign Service Academy.
"From Somalia to Liberia, to Congo, wherever and whenever our African brethren have needed us for peace-keeping, peace-building and peace-making, we have heeded the call," he said, adding that under the UN flag, Pakistani Blue Helmets have played their role in helping bring stability to the continent.
Pakistan's trade volume with Africa is far below the potential, he said, adding, "In order to realise our growth potential and synergies, we need to enhance our focus on boosting trade and investment relations." He also called for exploring possibility of joint ventures in sectors like pharmaceuticals, textiles and agriculture where Pakistan has experience and expertise.
"To realise the full potential of the opportunities available, I feel a more structured and result-oriented engagement between Pakistan and Africa is called for," he said, adding that the government of Pakistan, on its part, is firmly committed to graduating its relations with Africa to the next level.
Participants at the roundtable included High Commissioner of Kenya Professor Julius Kibet Bitok, Ambassador of Algeria Lakhal Benkali, Ambassador of Sudan Tageldin El Hadi El Tahir Taha, Ambassador of Morocco Muhammad Karmoune, Ambassador of Nigeria Maj Gen Adebayo A Olaniyi, Ambassador of Egypt Ahmed Mohammed Fadel Yacoub, CdA of Somalia Ali Sheikh Abdullah, CdA of Mauritius Marvin Nadrajen Chedumberum, CdA of Libya Nizar AM Nabiyah, and CdA of South Africa Cristo Jansen Van Noordwyk.
Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, while speaking on the occasion, said that Pakistan is already working on some of the ideas shared by the envoys while work on other ideas will start soon. He suggested a proactive think tank to think tank cooperation in order to evolve the relations in a positive and meaningful way.
Earlier, in his welcome remarks, Director General ISSI Ambassador Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry (retd) said that Pakistan-Africa relations are very deep-rooted and grounded in cultural, religious and social dimensions. "However, we should put more emphasis on economic aspects as well," he added.