Pakistan played vital role in bringing Taliban to table: Qureshi

By monitoring desk

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday termed the recent negotiations between the United States and the Afghan Taliban a ‘major diplomatic victory’ and said Pakistan played a vital role in bringing the Taliban leadership to the table.

A day earlier, the US and the Taliban made substantial headway in negotiations held in Qatar to end the 17-year US war in Afghanistan, according to Geo News report.

Speaking to the media in Multan, Foreign Minister Qureshi welcomed the development and highlighted the role played by Pakistan in the Afghan peace process. “Pakistan played a vital role in bringing the US and the Taliban to the negotiating table," he said.

Pakistan is concerned about peace in the region, not money, he added. “We had decided to move forward with peace. The world has accepted Pakistan’s stance on the peace process.” The foreign minister said peace in the region is not possible without dialogue. “Pakistan has pursued a regional outlook by reaching out to different countries and advocating its resolve for a stable and peaceful region.” Responding to a question about the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Qureshi said, “The PAC chairman should be from the opposition; however, the attitude of the opposition has hindered the proceedings of the National Assembly.”

He added, the opposition has the right to express their point of view but they can do so without creating a hullabaloo.

“Imran Khan’s government is not here to do bargaining. We have never bargained over Pakistan’s interest in the past, nor will we do so in future,” Qureshi said. The minister said he would be visiting Oman on Tuesday to discuss bilateral and regional cooperation with the leadership of the country. He would next embark on a visit to London on February 3 to raise the Kashmir issue in the House of Commons and present Pakistan’s stance on India’s continued atrocities in the Valley.