FM Qureshi to visit Kabul on Dec 15 to hold peace talks with Afghan leadership on US request

Published December 8, 2018
Pakistan is committed to an “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process”, says the foreign minister. —AFP/File
Pakistan is committed to an “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process”, says the foreign minister. —AFP/File

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said he will visit Kabul on December 15 to take up the matter of "political reconciliation and durable peace" with Afghan leadership in wake of the United States seeking Pakistan's cooperation for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Addressing a ceremony in Multan, Qureshi said it was the robustness of Pakistan's foreign policy that the US requested for assistance in Afghan issue, Radio Pakistan reported. He said Pakistan was committed to an “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process”.

The minister was of the view that Pakistan's foreign policy was moving on a positive trajectory based on national interest and self-reliance.

On Tuesday, Qureshi had reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Afghan peace process in his meeting with US Special Envoy for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad — the United States special envoy tasked with finding a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 17-year old war.

“Pakistan will continue to cooperate with sincerity for a political settlement in Afghanistan. Long-lasting peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s best interest,” Qureshi had tweeted after his meeting with the visiting US special envoy.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an interview with The Washington Post, expressed his desire to have "a proper relationship with the US" akin to Islamabad's ties with China rather than the one "where Pakistan is treated like a hired gun".

Furthermore, Qureshi said the prime minister has expressed satisfaction over the performance of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the first hundred days of the PTI government.

Opinion

Enter the deputy PM

Enter the deputy PM

Clearly, something has changed since for this step to have been taken and there are shifts in the balance of power within.

Editorial

All this talk
Updated 30 Apr, 2024

All this talk

The other parties are equally legitimate stakeholders in the country’s political future, and it must give them due consideration.
Monetary policy
30 Apr, 2024

Monetary policy

ALIGNING its decision with the trend in developed economies, the State Bank has acted wisely by holding its key...
Meaningless appointment
30 Apr, 2024

Meaningless appointment

THE PML-N’s policy of ‘family first’ has once again triggered criticism. The party’s latest move in this...
Weathering the storm
Updated 29 Apr, 2024

Weathering the storm

Let 2024 be the year when we all proactively ensure that our communities are safeguarded and that the future is secure against the inevitable next storm.
Afghan repatriation
29 Apr, 2024

Afghan repatriation

COMPARED to the roughshod manner in which the caretaker set-up dealt with the issue, the elected government seems a...
Trying harder
29 Apr, 2024

Trying harder

IT is a relief that Pakistan managed to salvage some pride. Pakistan had taken the lead, then fell behind before...