All Afghan parties must honour commitments to halt violence: Qureshi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday underscored that all parties in Afghanistan must honour their respective commitments and work for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire.

During his meeting with Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the foreign minister stressed the importance of an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The Afghan leaders must seize this historic opportunity to achieve durable and sustainable peace in Afghanistan,” Qureshi said while underlining the importance of exercising vigilance and guarding against the role of “spoilers”, both within and outside.

Welcoming the Afghan delegation, Qureshi underscored the historic ties of amity and brotherhood between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to further strength the close fraternal relations between the two countries. The foreign minister emphasised that Pakistan had always supported a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan. “Prime Minister Imran Khan has consistently underlined that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan,” Qureshi said, adding Pakistan facilitated the process that culminated in the US-Taliban Peace Agreement in Doha on February 29 and supported the commencement of Intra-Afghan negotiations.

He highlighted the steps taken by Pakistan to support Afghanistan on its path to reconstruction and economic development as well as for improved transit and bilateral trade relations.The foreign minister underlined the importance of making the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland with dignity and honour as a part of the peace process. Hekmatyar is on a three-day visit to Pakistan. During the visit, he will have meetings with political and parliamentary leadership and other dignitaries.

Separately, the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, had a conversation with Foreign Minister Qureshi.During the call, Qureshi appreciated United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA) role in supporting Afghanistan’s socio-economic development as per its mandate.

The foreign minister highlighted Pakistan’s facilitative role in the Afghan peace process, which had been acknowledged by the international community. He said Pakistan was keen to see the peace process move forward which would help in reduction in violence and deny space to “spoilers” who did not wish to see return of peace and stability in the region.

Qureshi reiterated that the vision of economic prosperity and regional connectivity could not be realised without a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. He also highlighted the range of steps taken by Pakistan to support Afghanistan in transit trade and movement of people despite the challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment for safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland, the foreign minister urged UNAMA to play an active role in helping with time-bound and well-resourced refugee return and their sustainable reintegration in the Afghan society.The foreign minister assured Lyons of Pakistan’s support to UNAMA in promoting the shared objective of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.