June 15, 2021: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said that the concept of “strategic depth” was obsolete and Pakistan was committed to moving forward with Afghanistan to achieve the goals of peace and economic prosperity.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the “Pakistan-Afghanistan Bilateral Dialogue” conference organized by the Regional Peace Institute in Islamabad, the Foreign Minister said, “Peace in Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and any mistakes should not be blamed on Pakistan. ” Qureshi said Pakistan would not accept responsibility for any wrongdoing in the Afghan peace process.
He said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and a core group would reportedly travel to Washington soon. “I wish him good luck and a good visit but let me spell it out in advance. If the purpose of going to Washington is to start a new blame game and [in Afghanistan] and all matters blaming Pakistan for the lack of development in peace will not help.
This is a shared responsibility and no one is going to buy it now that if things go wrong [then] Pakistan is responsible. We will not take responsibility. He added that Pakistan was “honest and sincere” in establishing the peace process in Afghanistan. “It’s up to Afghans to decide the way forward for the country and find people who can do it,” he said.
“Afghanistan needs a leadership that can negotiate a successful outcome [and] that can move the country to peace and not worry about [and] staying in power,” he said. He further said that Pakistan wants to resolve bilateral issues with Afghanistan. He emphasized on the APAPS (Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan for Peace and Solidarity) geopolitics policy. Stability is not possible without peace in the region. “Peace is essential for promoting trade and investment,” he added.
Qureshi said the Afghan conflict was inherently political and Pakistan was also supporting a political solution through comprehensive dialogue. He said that violence and reconciliation could not go hand in hand and added that Pakistan had called for a ceasefire after overcoming the violence.
Qureshi emphasized that Pakistan wanted to partner with Afghanistan, the region and the United States to fight terrorism, adding that Pakistan had lost lives, martyred soldiers, bombed mosques and the economy. Has suffered. “As the elected representative of Pakistan, I do not want to see” Talibanization “of Pakistan. How can I be clearer than that? He added that his vision for the country was based on the values supported by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
He said Pakistan had taken a “very clear decision” not to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. “We don’t have any favorites, it’s usually an echo that we support the Taliban,” he said. I am not and I do not represent them, I represent Pakistan.
He said several Afghan leaders from each ethnic group had been invited to Islamabad to send a clear message that Pakistan, along with all ethnic communities and leaders, was committed to “what matters and is important for peace and reconciliation.” Wants to join “That is why we have been inviting you and we will continue to invite your leadership to achieve the common goal of your establishment and stability,” he added.
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