Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Saturday said the peace agreement between US and Afghan Taliban is a big diplomatic victory for Pakistan.

“The agreement will not only bring peace in Afghanistan but in whole the region. Pakistan will also continue to play an important role in uplift of Afghanistan. Similarly, trade ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan will also improve,” the foreign minister told reporters here. “Regional peace is the top priority of Pakistan. The peace agreement between America and Afghan Taliban is a big diplomatic victory for Pakistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan always voiced that Afghanistan issue can only be resolved through dialogue instead of use of force.

Due to certain issues in Afghanistan, Pakistan government had to focus on its western border. No one was expecting that Pakistan can play a vital role for peace between US and Afghan Taliban amid conspiracies by the enemies of the peace process, he said. “Some elements were always pointing fingers at Pakistan, but now Pakistan’s role is being acknowledged at the international level due to its sincere efforts for peace in the region,” he said. “Now, it is up to the people of Afghanistan and its leadership that how do they move forward towards peace. Pakistan has successfully performed its role of a facilitator for peace,” he maintained.

Qureshi said that Pakistan was closely involved in the process that led to the announcement of the upcoming peace deal between the United States and Afghanistan. Calling the announcement of the peace deal a ‘historic breakthrough’, Qureshi said Pakistan has helped in constructing a roadmap for peace in Afghanistan. “When US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad visited Islamabad recently, both the prime minister and I held detailed meetings with him regarding the peace process. We constructed a roadmap to peace,” he said. “I also told Khalilzad that the US and its allies around the region must remain wary of certain elements who benefit from continued fighting [in Afghanistan]. I warned him that these elements are bent on destroying the progress of our peace efforts,” he added.

Qureshi pointed out that the Afghan peace process is a complex one and that there is no military solution to the conflict. “The world must understand that the solution to Afghan conflict will only come through a political settlement based on diplomatic negotiations,” he said.

“When US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came to Pakistan for his maiden visit last year, relations between the two countries were at its lowest ebb. Pompeo told me that the pathway to fixing relations between Pakistan and US comes through Kabul. Now I would like to remind him that we have fulfilled all our promises. Not only did we build a peace team but we also played our role in ensuring that the negotiations were successful,” he said.

The foreign minister said that the Afghan government should think about the future of its country and double its efforts to restore peace. Qureshi also urged the Afghan government to shun partisan domestic politics to ensure lasting peace in the country. “The deal will be signed in the presence of Pakistan because it was impossible for the deal to come through without our efforts. After February, we will try to build a delegation to promote intra-Afghan peace process and we have also decided when and how those talks will take place. Pakistan has played its role in the peace process with wholeheartedness and honesty and it is now incumbent upon the Afghan government to do the same,” he said.

Qureshi said it was not easy to bring Taliban to the table for negotiations and that is why the entire world, including the US, is appreciating Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process. “The world knows that the two sides have been fighting for over 19 years. After US President Donald Trump cancelled the peace process in a single tweet after a death [of a US soldier], it was Pakistan who convinced the US to restart negotiations.”

Qureshi said India faced humiliation in the meeting of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as its conspiracies to put Pakistan into blacklist failed. He, however, hoped that Pakistan will be out of grey list soon.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan also said the peace deal between United States and Afghan Taliban will prove to be an important milestone in achieving lasting peace in the entire South Asian region.

In a tweet on her social media account, she said Pakistan welcomes the historic pact being inked between the US and Afghan Taliban on February 29. She said the significant progress is reflection of the political acumen of Prime Minister Imran Khan as his vision is to resolve issues through dialogue instead of war because war is not the solution of any problem.

Dr Firdous said the sincere role of Pakistan in the peace agreement will be written in golden words in region’s history. She said peace, progress and prosperity is the right of Afghans as they have bravely fought violence, wars since generations.