Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi received U.S. Charge d’ Affaires Ambassador Paul Jones for a farewell call today. While appreciating his efforts in building the bilateral relationship during the last two years, the Foreign Minister said that a strong Pakistan-U.S. relationship was mutually beneficial and important for peace and stability in the region and beyond. The Foreign Minister said that Pakistan had played an important role in the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. He further said that the process had now reached a crucial phase and all Afghan sides should seize this historic opportunity and commence the intra-Afghan negotiations at the earliest to achieve an inclusive and comprehensive political settlement. The Foreign Minister highlighted the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK). He stressed that the international community must take steps to help alleviate the sufferings of the Kashmiri people and realization of their legitimate rights. The U.S. had a crucial role in this regard, the Foreign Minister said.