Pakistan has to choose between economic opportunity, war: Ghani

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday said the regional and international opportunities favoured Afghanistan, adding, “It’s time for Pakistan to choose this opportunity or the opposite. Stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Islamabad and in the region as well.”

According to foreign media, Ghani, said, “There was a time when Pakistan was considering Afghanistan as a marginal state with a common perception that if Torkham, Spin Boldak or Karchi crossing points were closed, Afghans would be groaning and Afghanistan would be easily isolated, but now the situation has been changed in favour of Afghanistan by opening new trade routes which puts an end to the dependence on Pakistan’s ports.”

Addressing a press conference, he added that a peaceful and stable rather than unstable Afghanistan could ensure Pakistan’s economic interest in the region. “Our priorities and opportunities have been changed, now time has arrived for Pakistan to make decisions and chose opportunities,” said Ghani.

“However, Pakistan has a choice to choose one of the two, if Pakistan cooperates with Afghanistan then a big portion of Central Asian business would concentrate with South Asia which could change the lives of 40-60 million people,” he added.

Ghani emphasised on state-to-state relations and said it was hoped that it had been cleared to everyone that Afghanistan at the time was not under economic pressure. “First we must reach to peace with Pakistan and then with the Taliban outfit,” the Afghan president said, adding that the Taliban had very short time to choose between peace and defeat.