Kabul: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during the inaugural session of the Pak-Afghan Bilateral Dialogue in Islamabad on Monday, said that Pakistan cannot be held responsible for all the ills and crisis in Afghanistan.
He added that Pakistan will continue to play a positive role in the success of intra-Afghan peace talks. He stressed on Pakistan’s reconciliatory role in the Afghan peace process and the agreement between the US and Taliban in Doha will help in maintaining peace in the region.
He maintained that Pakistan’s efforts have been recognized internationally as part of the solution and not part of the problem. The Pakistan foreign minister highlighted that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict. He said a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan and the whole region.
Regarding the current situation in Afghanistan, he stated that the only way forward to ensure peace and security is a reduction in violence. He pointed out that both the Afghan government and the Taliban will have to demonstrate flexibility to reach a settlement.
However, expressing concern over the statements of Afghanistan’s vice-president and the National Security Adviser against Pakistan, he said that the blame game must stop as it will not help any cause. He said that there are spoilers inside and outside Afghanistan and both the parties should be fully cognizant of their nefarious designs.
He mentioned that Pakistan does not interfere in the internal matters of Afghanistan and that Pakistan is taking all possible measures for border management with Afghanistan.
