ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for the post-conflict Afghanistan on its path to reconstruction and economic development.
The prime minister was talking to Chairman High Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, who called on him in Islamabad.
PM Imran Khan reiterated his longstanding position that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a political solution is the only way forward.
He expressed gratification that the international community has come to recognise this stance and also acknowledged Pakistan’s positive role in facilitation of the Afghan peace process. He said the US-Taliban Peace Agreement was a major step forward in these endeavours.
The prime minister conveyed his best wishes for the successful outcome of the Afghan peace process. He hoped that Dr Abdullah Abdullah’s visit will help open a new chapter in the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Commending the start of the Intra-Afghan Negotiations in Doha earlier this month, the prime minister expressed the hope that Afghan leadership would seize this historic opportunity to work together constructively and secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.
The prime minister underscored that all Afghan parties must work for reduction in violence leading to a ceasefire. He conveyed that Pakistan would support whatever the Afghans agree upon about the future of Afghanistan. He further reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for the post-conflict Afghanistan on its path to reconstruction and economic development.
In the bilateral context, Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted that Pakistan and Afghanistan had immense trade complementarities and emphasised the need to utilise these capacities for mutually-beneficial trade and transit.
He assured that Pakistan will continue to undertake all efforts to facilitate Afghan transit trade and deepen bilateral trade and economic ties and people-to-people exchanges with Afghanistan. He stated that he was looking forward to his visit to Afghanistan on the invitation of President Ashraf Ghani.
ADVERTISEMENT
