ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday reached out to Afghanistan and China and pointed out that while withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan entails serious security challenges, having its own implications, it also offers a unique opportunity for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and moving the country from a perpetual internal conflict to an era of peace and stability.
”We should, therefore, explore how our three neighborly countries can work together to deal with the evolving situation in an effective manner and steer it towards achieving our shared objective of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region”, said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the virtual 4th session of China–Afghanistan–Pakistan Foreign Minister’s Dialogue.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Muhammad Haneef Atmar participated in the session.
The trilateral mechanism was established in 2017 to foster closer cooperation among the three countries regarding the Afghan peace process and provide assistance to Afghanistan for reconstruction and development.
While striving to strengthen its relations with China and Afghanistan in the bilateral as well as regional context, Pakistan attaches huge importance to trilateral mechanism among the three countries for enhancing cooperation and coordination in the areas of shared interest.
”We strongly believe that peace, prosperity and economic development of our three countries are inter-linked. Our meeting today is taking place at an important timeframe. The US and Nato forces have already started withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. This has important implications”, added Qureshi.
Afghanistan and China were told that durable peace and stability in Afghanistan will lead to an environment conducive for harnessing the true potential of regional connectivity and further deepening economic inter-dependence through use of innovation and technological advances.
Meanwhile, at the weekly media briefing at the Foreign Office, the spokesman said that Pakistan has consistently maintained that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and that a negotiated political settlement was the only way forward.
“Pakistan has played a constructive role in the Afghan peace process. We have facilitated the signing of US-Taliban Peace Agreement (February 29, 2020); the commencement of Intra-Afghan Negotiations (September 12, 2020) and the Agreement on Rules and Procedures between the Afghan parties (Doha, December 2, 2020). We have also repeatedly underscored the need for reduction in violence leading to a ceasefire,“ he said.
He emphasised that withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan should be ‘orderly’ and ‘responsible’, leaving no security vacuum that could be exploited by spoilers. “In addition, the withdrawal of US forces must coincide with the overall progress achieved in the peace process. In this regard, we have been in contact with all the relevant stakeholders”, he said, for a negotiated settlement of the conflict.
To a query on US bases, the spokesman categorically stated that there is no US air or military base in Pakistan; nor is any such proposal envisaged. “Pakistan and the US have the framework of cooperation in terms of Air Lines of Communication (ALOC) and Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC) in place since 2001. No new agreement has been made in this regard”, he said.
Another query pertained to reports about the condition of human rights in Xinjiang which had been reported widely in the western media, he said, “We believe that affairs related to Xinjiang are an internal matter of China. China has taken important measures to combat terrorism and radicalisation along its western region. Besides, China has undertaken massive development measures in the region.”
China, he said, had also organised visits of our and other representatives to Xinjiang for first-hand information and knowledge about the situation, and was also engaged with the OIC with regard to Xinjiang.
Pakistan has taken up with Turkish authorities the problems that Pakistani visitors are facing where they have to be quarantined on arrival. “We have taken up the matter with the Turkish authorities and have also updated them on the improvement of COVID situation in Pakistan. We hope that the Turkish side will review its COVID related advisory for Pakistan, in view of the improving COVID situation, in due course”, he said.
