Afghan peace a must for stability in region: Hoti

NOWSHERA: A former chief minister and Awami National Party (ANP) and central senior vice-president Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Monday said that restoration of lasting peace to Afghanistan was prerequisite for stability in the region.

“All the stakeholders must join hands to work for bringing durable peace to Afghanistan as chaos in the war-ravaged neighbouring country, directly and indirectly, affects the region, particularly Pakistan,” Haider Hoti said while speaking at a meeting held in connection with party reorganization.

A former lawmaker Siraj Muhammad Khan, ANP provincial president Masood Abbas and others were also present.The ANP leader believed that the US committed blunders while negotiating peace agreement with Afghan Taliban sans other stakeholders in that country.

He said that the US was responsible for the past and present situation in Afghanistan, as it had never taken all the players on board to bring stability to the region.“If friendship with China is necessary for the development of Pakistan, peaceful Afghanistan is also important to ensure lasting peace in our country,” Haider Hoti said, adding that ANP wished all Afghan stakeholders to sit and discuss ways and means for formation of a stable and strong government in the war-torn country.

He said that Afghanistan has to establish cordial relations with the world, particularly neighbours, trade and diplomatic ties with all the countries and also ensure the protection of human rights, promote the women education and the political process.

Coming down hard on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, he said the rulers had failed on fronts owing to its flawed economic and foreign policies. He said the incumbent government had only caused destruction and rendered millions of people jobless.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan has deceived the youths of the country by showing them green pastures in his speeches while sitting on the container,” he added.Haider Hoti, who is also Member National Assembly, said that hike in prices of food items, medicines and inflation was the country’s real issues but despite taking huge loans from international financial institutions during the last three years, the government had no policy to steer the country out of the prevailing economic crisis.He said the poor people and youths were compelled to commit suicide due to rising prices of the items of daily use and joblessness in the country.