Pakistan strives for inclusive Afghan settlement: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan says it has been making serious and sincere efforts for facilitating intra-Afghan peace process for an inclusive political settlement. “We hope that Afghans would seize this opportunity for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,“ said the Foreign Office on Monday. Surprised by the remarks made by the Press Office of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 27th June regarding TTP’s activities in Afghanistan, the spokesperson stated that the assertions of the Afghan side were contrary to facts on ground and various reports of the UN, which also corroborated the presence and activities of over 5000-strong TTP in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan appears to be in a denial mode as the TTP under the patronage of the Afghan government has found safe havens there for several decades. “Over last many years, TTP has launched several gruesome terrorist attacks inside Pakistan using Afghan soil without any retribution from its hosts. The 12th Report of the UN Monitoring Team, issued in June 2021, acknowledges TTP’s “distinctive anti-Pakistan objectives” and notes its location within Afghanistan “near the border with Pakistan”. TTP following its orchestrated reunification with its splinter groups with the help of Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs) and its continued presence in Afghanistan with impunity and its cross-border attacks against Pakistan poses persistent threat to our security and stability, said the Foreign Office.

Pakistan says its commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations without any discrimination was unwavering and unambiguous. “Pakistan has continued to emphasize the need for a meaningful engagement with the Afghan side for addressing security and terrorism issues through effective use of Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS),” added the Foreign Office.

Meanwhile, the pilot phase of the Foreign Minister’s Portal (FMP) has been launched under the Vision FO Thought Leadership Platform. In its pilot phase, the FMP is available online for overseas Pakistanis and foreign nationals residing in the jurisdiction of five Pakistan missions abroad, namely, Barcelona, Dubai, Jeddah, London and New York.

The Pakistani community and foreigners can download the App (Foreign Minister’s Portal) from Android store from today, & later on from iOS store also, to register their problems, suggestions and feedback.

The cardinal objective of the Portal is to directly engage with our diaspora by providing them with remote access to the missions through modern means of communication. This will also help to assess the nature of the issues being faced by overseas Pakistanis leading towards their better resolution. “Gradually, the scale of the Portal will be widened to all Pakistan Missions aboard,” said the Foreign Office.