India using Afghan war against Pakistan, says Ahsan Iqbal

KARACHI: Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said that India is using the Afghan war against Pakistan.

“India's role in Afghanistan is not to establish peace,” Iqbal said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

He stressed that a lot, apart from the peace efforts, needs to be done in Afghanistan.

“Peace in Afghanistan is a guarantee of peace in Pakistan,” he said, adding that the US cannot establish peace in the country without Pakistan’s assistance.

“Pakistan-US cooperation is imperative for regional peace and stability,” the interior minister said, adding that it is time that regional players unite with the common objective of bringing about sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

He further said, in the interview, that negotiations with the US are underway to improve bilateral relations.

“We are negotiating with the US to establish peace in Afghanistan.”

He also stressed that Pakistan will never allow its soil to be used against any other country.

“We hope that other countries also don’t allow their soil to be used against Pakistan,” he added.

Discussing ongoing rumours regarding early elections in the country, the minister said that ‘there is no chance of early elections’ and political parties ‘will not accept early election before new delimitations’ following the recent census.

Qatar compares Saudi actions in Lebanon to Gulf crisis

Saudi Arabia has triggered crises across the region, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said

He also commented on the Qatar related Arab crisis, saying that Pakistan has serious concerns over the tensions between the Arab countries. 

In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced they had severed ties with Qatar, sealing off the emirate's only land border in the wide-ranging boycott.

They accuse Qatar's government of supporting extremism and fostering close ties with Iran.

Qatar denies the charges, claiming the dispute is an attack on its sovereignty. Both sides refuse to back down, but Doha says it is ready to engage with the US and Kuwaiti mediation.