ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has reiterated that the future of the region lies in peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
“Pakistan remains committed to the goal of lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region,” the adviser said while addressing a Conference titled “Achieving Peace in Afghanistan: Challenges & Prospects” at Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The adviser said that a peaceful prosperous Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest, and it believes that a politically negotiated settlement will be the most viable option for bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan.
Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan has been making sincere efforts for facilitating talks between the Afghan government and Taliban.
“Our consistent and clear message to the Taliban has been that they must give up violence and join the peace process,” he said.
Talking about the Pak-Afghan border, the adviser said that Pakistan has been emphasizing the need for effective border management with Afghanistan, adding that it would prevent the movement of terrorists and miscreants and would help address the Afghan allegations regarding Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) and Haqqani networks presence in Pakistan.
Sartaj Aziz further said that Pakistan has also been stressing upon the Afghan government to take action against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) sanctuaries in Afghanistan who have been crossing through the porous border and launching terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
Moreover, he said that meaningful engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan is of key importance for peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.
The adviser also underscored the importance of high-level visits and interactions between Pakistan and Afghanistan as streamlined under the rubric of bilateral cooperation mechanism agreed upon between the two sides in March for cooperation in diplomatic, military and intelligence fields with political oversight.
