ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged on Friday Afghanistan leaders to expedite progress in intra-Afghan negotiations for lasting peace.

He was talking to Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Chairman, Abdullah Abdullah, during a meeting held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) in Turkey.

Recalling the successful visit of Abdullah Abdullah in September 2020, the foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s policy of maintaining broad engagement with Afghan political leadership to forge deeper mutual understanding.

He highlighted Pakistan’s meaningful contribution to facilitate direct talks between the US and Afghan Taliban as well as the Afghan parties.

The foreign minister reiterated that it was now up to the Afghan leaders to seize the historic opportunity for an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive settlement.

He added that the progress in the Afghan peace process was critical to reduce space for spoilers who did not wish to see return of peace to the region.

The foreign minister underscored that negative statements and blame game only served to vitiate the environment and strengthen the hand of spoilers who wished to derail the peace process.