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WASHINGTON: The United States has expressed pleasure over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Afghanistan.
In a tweet, the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said it is “pleased to see Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Kabul to underscore Pakistan’s commitment to peace and to further cooperation with Afghanistan on security, refugees, trade, and regional connectivity.” The statement further said that Pakistan-Afghanistan cooperation contributes to the entire region’s stability.
Pleased to see PM Khan visiting Kabul to underscore Pakistan’s commitment to peace & to further cooperation with Afghanistan on security, refugees, trade, and regional connectivity. Afghan-Pakistani cooperation contributes to the entire region’s stability.
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) November 20, 2020
PM Imran Khan went on his maiden visit to Kabul where he met President Ashraf Ghani among other leaders. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Adviser for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, and other senior officials.
A day after his Kabul visit, he stressed that after the Afghans, it was Pakistanis who had the “greatest stake” in peace in Afghanistan. “My visit to Kabul was another step towards conveying Pakistan’s commitment to peace in Afghanistan,” the premier had said on Twitter, his first post about the trip since his return.
“I have never believed in military solutions which is why I always believed that in Afghanistan peace will be achieved through political dialogue,” he had added. He said that peace in Afghanistan would “allow for connectivity and trade, bringing prosperity to both Afghans and Pakistanis”. He said that people in the tribal areas “who have suffered the ravages of the war in Afghanistan, will especially benefit from peace and trade”.
My visit to Kabul was another step towards conveying Pakistan’s commitment to peace in Afghanistan. I have never believed in military solutions which is why I always believed that in Afghanistan peace will be achieved through political dialogue.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 20, 2020
During his maiden visit to Kabul, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan will do everything possible to help reduce violence in Afghanistan and establish durable peace.
He said the Afghan people have suffered for over four decades and the level of violence has risen in Afghanistan despite the role Pakistan has played in getting the Taliban to speak with Americans and the intra-Afghan dialogue.
