US State Dept lauds PM Imran Khan's visit to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: The US Department of State on Friday lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent visit to Kabul and reiterated the importance of the cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In a statement, the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) said it was "pleased to see PM Khan visiting Kabul to underscore Pakistan’s commitment to peace & to further cooperation with Afghanistan on security, refugees, trade, and regional connectivity".

"Afghan-Pakistani cooperation contributes to the entire region’s stability," the State Department's SCA added in its statement on Twitter.

PM Imran Khan travelled to Kabul where he met President Ashraf Ghani among other leaders, marking his maiden official visit to Afghanistan. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Adviser for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, and other senior officials.

A day after his Kabul visit, he stressed that after the Afghans, it was Pakistanis who had the "greatest stake" in peace in Afghanistan.

"My visit to Kabul was another step towards conveying Pakistan's commitment to peace in Afghanistan," the premier had said on Twitter, his first post about the trip since his return.

"I have never believed in military solutions which is why I always believed that in Afghanistan peace will be achieved through political dialogue," he had added.

Peace in Afghanistan would "allow for connectivity and trade, bringing prosperity to both Afghans and Pakistanis", he had observed, noting that people in the tribal areas, "who have suffered the ravages of the war in Afghanistan, will especially benefit from peace and trade".