Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of the High Council for National Reconciliation has said that Pakistan played an important role in facilitating Afghan peace talks.

Addressing a conference at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, Abdullah said that he has come to Pakistan at a time when a new and peaceful future is on the horizon. He thanked Pakistan for playing an important reconciliation role in Afghan peace talks.

He further said both neighbors are facing common threats and challenges including various shades of terrorism, extremism, intolerance, adding that they need to cooperate against such elements.

He emphasized on strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the fields of transit trade and people-to-people contacts.

The leader also appreciated Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi assured Pakistan's complete support to the Afghan peace process and said that it has no favorites and it does not want to meddle in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.

“Pakistan respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan,” he said. The FM further said that his message to the people of Afghanistan is that whatever consensus evolves through the dialogue and negotiations, Pakistan will accept it.