Be careful of 'spoilers' who do not want peace in Afghanistan, Qureshi warns Afghan FM

Be careful of spoilers who do not want peace and stability to return to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi warned his Afghan counterpart on Wednesday.

Qureshi, in a telephone conversation with Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar, reiterated Pakistan’s support for a peaceful, united and stable Afghanistan.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office said that the Qureshi underlined Pakistan’s “positive contribution to Afghan peace process”. He also expressed hope that the Afghan leadership would seize the “historic opportunity” of establishing lasting peace in the country through Intra-Afghan Negotiations for an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.

Qureshi also assured Atmar that Pakistan will respect the decisions taken by the Afghans about their future through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process.

Read more: Abdullah Abdullah says time for Pakistan and Afghanistan to 'define a new vision'

During the conversation, Foreign Minister Qureshi also highlighted the importance of a “time-bound and well-resourced road map for the repatriation of Afghan refugees”. He also emphasised Pakistan’s commitment to safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

Qureshi also condoled with Atmar over the loss of lives in the Jalalabad incident where Afghan local authorities were managing visa applicants.

According to the foreign office, FM Qureshi welcomed the increase in high-level bilateral visits, including the recent one by Afghan Speaker Wolesi, Mir Rahman Rahmani, and the holding of Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Forum in Islamabad.

The foreign minister also highlighted the steps taken by Pakistan to facilitate Afghans wishing to visit Pakistan. He said that a new visa policy was aimed at further easing people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

Tukey condoles with Pakistan on Peshawar attack

Separately, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on Foreign Minister Qureshi to share his country’s sympathies and condolences at the loss of precious lives in the Peshawar terrorist attack.

The two ministers exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and reviewed progress on bilateral cooperation in diverse fields

The Pakistani foreign minister Qureshi also felicitated Turkey on its 97th Republic Day which will be celebrated on Thursday.

Read more: Pakistan will not stay silent on Modi’s fascism, violence against Muslims, says FM Qureshi

According to the Foreign Office, the two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction at mutual collaboration between Islamabad and Ankara at multilateral fora. Foreign Minister Qureshi also thanked Ankara for the principled stance taken by Turkey on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and Turkey’s steadfast support in this regard.

The foreign ministers agreed to remain in touch on issues of concern to the Muslim Ummah, including the rise of Islamophobia. The Turkish foreign minister also lauded the stance taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the issue.