Pakistan remains committed to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan: FM Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said Pakistan remains committed to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Afghanistan Peace Conference titled “Lahore Process” in Bhurban, Qureshi said a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of the region.

“Pakistan has been playing its due role for resolution of the Afghan conflict. Pakistan is supporting the Afghan peace process following the principles of mutual respect and non-interference,” he said.

He added, “We are determined to build our bilateral relationship on the principles of non-interference, mutual respect and common interest.”

The foreign minister further said, after the Afghan nation no one has suffered more than the people of Pakistan due to this persistent instability and conflict. “Advancing the cause of peace and stability in Afghanistan is, therefore, in Pakistan's own national interest”.

“We wish to see a friendly Afghanistan, governed by an elected leadership, representative of the aspirations of all Afghans,” Qureshi said.

“For far too long, the vicious circle of mistrust, often fed into by our common enemies, has affected our relationship. The blame-game has not helped either of us. It is indispensable to move away from this negative paradigm."

He added that it was incumbent upon the leadership of the two countries to take practical steps to build mutual trust and confidence.

“The two countries must not allow their respective territories to be used by anyone to the detriment of our interests. Pakistan and Afghanistan have the same objective of long-term peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region,” Qureshi added.

Qureshi further said that, while others believed in a military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, “we always thought that a politically negotiated settlement is the only way forward.” 

“It is gratifying to note that others have also reached the same conclusion now,” he added.

The foreign minister said Pakistan has whole-heartedly facilitated the Afghan peace process in good faith and as a shared responsibility and will continue playing its due role. "Our support has been crucial in overcoming the political stalemate that looked impossible to break just a year ago.”

“In addition to playing our role in the peace process, Pakistan also remains committed to the Afghan reconstruction and development efforts, post-settlement. We stand ready to help Afghanistan through trade, investment, connectivity and capacity-building of the Afghan people,” Qureshi added.

We are committed to enhancing people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges, he said.

“Pakistan also wishes to work with Afghanistan, and the world community, to help create conditions that enable the dignified, safe and voluntary return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan,” Qureshi added.