Daily Times

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a telephonic conversation with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar has called the need for putting guard against ‘spoilers’ who did not wish to see return of peace and stability.

The two sides exchanged views on matters relating to Afghan peace process, bilateral relations, repatriation of Afghan refugees and regional connectivity.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said Pakistan supported a peaceful, united and stable Afghanistan.

He underlined Pakistan’s positive contribution to Afghan peace process and expressed hope that the Afghan leadership would seize this historic opportunity through Intra-Afghan Negotiations to establish lasting peace in Afghanistan by achieving an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.

“Pakistan will respect the decisions taken by the Afghan nation about their future through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process,” he said.

The Foreign Minister welcomed the increasing high-level bilateral visits, including the recent visit of Speaker of Afghan Wolesi Jirga Mir Rahman Rahmani, and the holding of Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Forum in Islamabad.

He also underlined the commitment to further deepen trade and economic ties between the two countries and efforts to enhance connectivity.

Highlighting the importance of a time-bound and well-resourced road map for the repatriation of Afghan refugees, Qureshi emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

He commiserated over the loss of lives in the unfortunate incident at a stadium in Jalalabad where Afghan local authorities were managing visa applicants.

The Foreign Minister highlighted the steps taken by Pakistan side to facilitate Afghans wishing to visit Pakistan.

In this regard, he highlighted that the new visa policy was aimed at further easing people-to-people contacts between the two countries. Later, Haneef Atmar in a tweet said he held a “constructive discussion with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He said the discussions focused on Afghan peace process, regional connectivity and solving the recent visa issues by increasing consular service capacity.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri has said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are interlinked with shared social, cultural and economic ties which date back to the centuries. He also remarked that bilateral ties between both nations can be enhanced by boosting trade and investment opportunities in both countries.

The Deputy Speaker NA expressed these views while talking to Nissar Ahmed Ghoryani Minister for Trade and Investment of Afghanistan and Nejibullah Naseer Chairman Standing Committee of Wolsi Jirga on Health, Sports, and Youth Affairs who called on him in the Parliament House on Wednesday.

Qasim Khan Suri said that Pakistan has always desire to have peaceful Afghanistan as peace in Afghanistan would ensure regional Progress and development. He remarked that the incumbent Government of Pakistan is striving hard to enhance bilateral ties on the basis of economy and trade. He said that special Executive Committee of Pak-Afghan Friendship Group (PFG) is working under the leadership of Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser to facilitate traders on both side of the border.

The Deputy Speaker said that liberalizing visa policy for Afghan has been the achievement of this committee. He mentioned that two days Seminar on Pakistan Afghanistan Trade & Investment Forum 2020 was also to enhance bilateral ties on the basis of trade and investment. He was of the view that the terrorist activities to sabotage this process of coordination and collaboration would not succeed.

Speaking on the occasion, Afghanistan Minister for Trade and Investment Nissar Ahmed Ghoryani said that Afghanistan values high its brotherly relations with Pakistan and wanted to further strengthening the existing relations. He appreciated the initiatives of Pakistan’s Parliament to bring both countries closer. The Afghan Minister for Trade and Investment said that both countries have vast opportunities for trade and business enhancement and close collaboration and coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan would bring prosperity and progress for both countries.