ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan will respect the decisions taken by the Afghan nation about its future through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process.
Talking to the Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar on phone, Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan supports a peaceful, united and stable Afghanistan.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi underlined Pakistan’s positive contribution to the Afghan peace process and expressed the hope that the Afghan leadership would seize this historic opportunity through intra-Afghan negotiations to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan by achieving an inclusive, broad-based, and comprehensive political settlement.
The foreign minister also underlined the need to guard against the role of ‘spoilers’ who did not wish to see the return of peace and stability.
The minister welcomed the increasing high-level bilateral visits including the recent visit of Speaker of Afghan Wolesi Jirga, Mir Rahman Rahmani, and the holding of Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Forum in Islamabad.
Qureshi also underlined the commitment to further deepen trade and economic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and efforts to enhance connectivity.
Highlighting the importance of a time-bound and well-resourced road map for the repatriation of Afghan refugees, the foreign minister emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to the safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
The foreign minister commiserated over the loss of lives in the unfortunate incident at a stadium in Jalalabad where Afghan local authorities were managing visa applicants.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi highlighted the steps taken by the Pakistan side to facilitate Afghans wishing to visit Pakistan.
In this regard, the foreign minister highlighted that the new visa policy was aimed at further easing people-to-people contacts between the two Countries.
