July 30, 2021: Pakistan has no plans to damage important diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, dismissing relevance of negative comments from its neighbouring country.

On Thursday, Pakistan said it had no plans to damage diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, insisting that negative comments from some elements in the neighboring country should have no impact on an “important relationship”.

Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafiz Chaudhry’s statement in a weekly news briefing came against the backdrop of recent tensions in Kabul-Islamabad relations.

Relations between the two countries, which are already struggling to overcome a lack of trust, suffered a setback when Afghanistan withdrew its ambassador following the alleged abduction of his daughter.

What has further hampered efforts to dispel suspicions were the statements in Kabul blaming Pakistan for the current turmoil in Afghanistan. In this context, when the Foreign Office spokesman was asked if Pakistan could reduce diplomatic relations with Kabul, his response was unequivocal. “Pakistan believes in maintaining close, mutual cooperation and fraternal relations with Afghanistan. “There are no plans to reduce our diplomatic relations with the neighboring country,” the spokesman said.

“The negative statements of some elements, who do not represent the people of Afghanistan, cannot be allowed to have a negative impact on this important relationship, especially at this critical juncture in the ongoing Afghan peace process,” he added.

Regarding the alleged abduction of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter, he said a full investigation was launched immediately after the incident was reported.

To that end, more than 700 hours of video footage were examined by more than 300 CCTV cameras. Security personnel interviewed more than 200 witnesses. “Although significant progress has been made in this regard, we believe that the cooperation of the Afghan ambassador and his daughter is important in ending the investigation,” he said.

An investigation into the alleged abduction of the Afghan envoy’s daughter has concluded that no evidence was found to support her claim. In response to another question, the spokesman said that Pakistan was not in a position to host as many Afghan refugees as possible.

The spokesperson said, “As far as our position on Afghan refugees is concerned, we have repeatedly stressed the need for a definite dignity, prestige and periodic plan for the repatriation of Afghan refugees and their rehabilitation in Afghanistan. “

“We hope that the current security situation in Afghanistan will not deteriorate further, as it will have serious consequences for Pakistan as well, including the possibility of further influx of Afghan refugees,” he added.

“As we have made clear, Pakistan is not in a position to host more refugees.” He emphasized the need for the Afghan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPS) to use a bilateral approach to the issue of Afghan refugees through the Refugee Working Group, with a focus on early return and resettlement of Afghan refugees in their homeland.

The spokesman rejected India’s criticism of China’s role in Afghanistan. China hosted a delegation of Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was in New Delhi to discuss the Afghan situation with the Indian leadership.

“We believe that China, as Afghanistan’s neighbor, plays an important role in the Afghan peace process,” the spokesman said. “Pakistan is a close and fraternal neighbor of Afghanistan, and the only country that has consistently insisted that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict.”

He said that Pakistan has to support and facilitate the peace process to achieve a comprehensive intra-Afghan political settlement. All of Afghanistan’s neighbors, including China, have been supportive of a political solution to the Afghan conflict. Pakistan and China are committed to facilitating and supporting the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process.

He lamented, “Unfortunately, India is one of the spoilers of the peace process and this Indian thinking is reflected in its continued opposition to the Afghan peace process and the efforts made by the international community in this regard.”

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