Afghan diplomat wants ties with Pakistan grow

PESHAWAR: Afghan Consul General Muhammad Moeen Marastial on Wednesday stressed the need for strengthening trade, cultural and educational ties with Pakistan.

Speaking at the Meet-the-Press Programme of the Peshawar Press Club, the diplomat said the Afghanistan land would never be used against the neighborly countries.

The Afghan consul general said world powers imposed war on Afghanistan after every 50 years.

Moeen Marastial said Afghans had lived for 37 years in Pakistan. “Pakistanis gave us place to live in their homes and hearts,” he said while pointing to the brotherly relations between the peoples of the two countries.

The Afghan diplomat said President Ashraf Ghani had sent him to Pakistan to strengthen the brotherly ties between the peoples of the two countries. He added that various countries had been working to promote own interests in the region.

The Afghan diplomat dispelled the apprehensions about the Chabahar port agreement between Afghanistan, Iran and India, saying that the trilateral deal could not affect transit trade relations with Pakistan. “Significance of the transit route via Karachi to Afghanistan will not be reduced by using Iran’s Chabahar port. The Karachi port is still beneficial to Afghanistan, which would have huge impacts for bolstering transit trade relations between the two neighbouring countries, the diplomat said.

“We are taking all possible steps for our security. Afghan soldiers are getting training in Pakistan and India,” he went on to add.

To a question about future of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), he said the future of the region should be decided according to the aspirations of the tribespeole. “Afghanistan has no reservations about Fata reforms,” he added.