LONDON: Pakistan will give its full support to any clear effort by the Afghan government to achieve a political settlement with the Taliban but does not want to lead a peace process that would impose a solution, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Hina Rabbani Khar said Afghans were tired of attempts by other countries to take charge of their affairs and, for the good of future bilateral ties, Pakistan should not be seen to be interfering too closely.
“We will support any (peace efforts) that are Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-driven. This is our first and last pre-requisite,” Ms Khar said in a speech at Chatham House, an international relations think tank in London.
“But we will not lead. We cannot lead ... We will only follow what our Afghan brothers and sisters decide is the course of action they will adopt,” she said.
Ms Khar added that as long as that condition was met, Pakistan would not block any effort by any nation to assist the Afghan government in achieving a political settlement to end war in Afghanistan.
In a statement on Tuesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai asked Pakistan “to support and facilitate our direct negotiation efforts as part of the peace process”.
“Pakistan’s support to the peace process will be crucial to its success, as well as a significant contribution to the security and stability of Afghanistan and the entire region,” Mr Karzai said.
The Afghan government wants access to certain Taliban leaders whom it believes are based in Pakistan, but Islamabad has always denied giving sanctuary to militants.
The Afghan Taliban announced last month they would open a political office in Qatar, suggesting they may be willing to use that as a tool in future negotiations.
Mr Karzai has said he agreed with the idea of opening a Taliban office in Qatar.
After a period of greater strain than usual, relations between Kabul and Islamabad have improved.
Ms Khar said that Afghans had to decide for themselves what was the best course of action to achieve peace in their country.
Peace was in Pakistan’s national interest but there should be only “one centre of gravity” in the effort to attain it and that should be an Afghan-led process, she said.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Meanwhile, addressing a gathering at the Pakistan High Commission on Tuesday evening, Ms Khar said that talks with her British counterpart William Hague had been very useful and they would help strengthen economic relations.
She said her interaction had greatly helped establish better relations among the two friendly countries and covered every aspect of ties.
The event included an exhibition arranged by AHAN (Aik Hunar Aik Nagar), an NGO, at which handicraft and local products of various regions of Pakistan were displayed.
The minister said tremendous investment opportunities were available both for British citizens and Pakistani expatriates in Pakistan.
She said Pakistan had introduced business-friendly policies and created conducive conditions for foreign investors. She mentioned energy needs of the country and said entrepreneurs could make investment in this sector.
She said economic development was directly linked with the availability of additional energy resources for which the government was making all out efforts.
Earlier, while welcoming the minister, High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hassan said that Pakistan-UK relations were an example of mutual understanding and trust.
He said Islamabad was appreciative of the UK’s support it extended to Pakistan for overcoming challenges in economic, trade and education sectors.—Agencies
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