There is no difference between civilian government and military leadership on the engagement with Afghan Taliban in ongoing reconciliation process in Afghanistan, Secretary Foreign Affairs Jalil Abbas Jillani said on Thursday. Answering a question, does Pakistan considers Afghan Taliban militants? Secretary Foreign Affairs said Pakistan had devised 'positive engagement policy for Afghanistan'.
The purpose of this policy was to help in restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan. "Pakistan will support any entity which is helpful in reconciliation". He said the foreign policy was framed after consensus among all the stakeholders, while talking to media after meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production.
Foreign Secretary further revealed that there were some new developments in the reconciliation process as subject of 'safe passage' and 'demilitarisation' of the Afghanistan were also discussed following joining Pakistan-US-Afghanistan core group. "We are supportive of Track-2 Channel and other process like Doha talks", he added. He said Pak-Afghan relationship were further strengthening through co-operation on political, military, intelligence and economic fronts. With the regular interaction between leadership of both the countries, he said, the relationship was further strengthened. The supportive role of Pakistan in reconciliation process was appreciated at international level. Responding to another question regarding drone strikes, Secretary Foreign Affairs reiterated that it was against the international law, illegal and counter-productive.
Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production, Mushahid Hussain disclosed that the members of defence standing committee would leave for Afghanistan on March 25 for a dialogue with the defence standing committee of Afghanistan. "It will be first ever dialogue between the' parliamentary committees on defence of both sides", he said. He recalled that Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's head of state and head of government had met 20 times in 2011 on various occasions and 12 times in 2012.