Islamabad hails progress amid talks with US on Afghanistan
PAKISTAN FULLY SUPPORTS AFGHAN PRESIDENT’S PEACE INITIATIVES, FOREIGN OFFICE SAYS
Pakistan’s Foreign Office yesterday lauded talks with the United States aimed at improvement of bilateral relationship with Afghanistan as well stability in that country.
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said: “Pakistan is committed to peace and security in Afghanistan and fully supports Afghan President’s peace initiatives.”
Speaking at a weekly briefing in Islamabad, Dr Faisal reiterated that there could be no military solution to the decades-long Afghan conflict and added Pakistan hopes the Taliban would grab the opportunity of unconditional peace talks with Afghan government.
Dr Faisal also noted that US deputy assistant secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador Alice Wells had a useful visit to Pakistan from July 1-3 in which detailed discussions were held with high-ranking officials of the country.
During a meeting at the Foreign Office, the two sides discussed bilateral foreign relations as well as regional situation particularly in Afghanistan.
Pakistan and the United States have once again agreed to make fresh efforts to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The latest commitments were made after the visit by senior US diplomat Wells who visited Islamabad thrice in recent months to iron out a durable and acceptable solution for the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.
Wells who has developed a close interaction with Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua held a series of meetings in Islamabad with top Pakistani officials including Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Bilal Akbar before leaving for Washington. She also met business leaders and ambassadors from other embassies in Islamabad.
The US official “commended the sacrifices and resilience of the people and armed forces of Pakistan and appreciated the role Pakistan Army has played in battling the scourge of terrorism.”
Following the latest progress, General Bajwa also received Dr Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, Afghan Ambassador in Islamabad, on Wednesday evening to discuss progress made during recent talks.
During the meeting, matters of mutual interest including the regional security situation were discussed.
General Bajwa recently visited Kabul, where he held meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Gani and his counterpart to assure them of Pakistan’s full support in revitalising the Afghan peace process.
Wells’ visit to Islamabad came after the stopover in Kabul for preliminary talks with Afghan leadership on accelerating peace talks with the Taliban weeks after a US drone missile killed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah in Afghanistan.
Wells, who has developed a close interaction with Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, held a series of meetings in Islamabad with top Pakistani officials including Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Bilal Akbar before leaving for Washington. She also met business leaders and ambassadors from other embassies in Islamabad.