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

Editorial

Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...
Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...