ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Mohammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Thursday said a stable and prosperous Afghanistan is imperative for Pakistan and the whole South Asian region.

He said a politically negotiated settlement led and owned by Afghans themselves was the only way forward for a long-term peace there.

“Peace, security and stability of Afghanistan are linked to the security in Pakistan as well as other regional countries,” he said while talking to a parliamentary delegation from Afghanistan.

The delegation is currently on a visit to Pakistan on the invitation of the Senate to share the benefit from experiences of each other. Both the sides identified trade and economic cooperation as well as regional connectivity.

Pakistan played a pivotal role in taking forward peace process in good faith, Senate chairman tells Afghan delegation

The Afghan delegation was led by Senator Qais Khan Wakilli and included Senator Fatima Akbari, Senator Dr Gul Mohammad Rasooli, Senator Wali Shah Naibzada, Senator Mohammad Daood Ghaffari and Senator Ghulam Mahudin.

Talking to the delegation, Senator Sanjrani said Pakistan was determined to build bilateral relationship on the principles of non-interference, mutual respect and common interest with Afghanistan and no one was the favourite of Pakistan in Afghanistan.

“We wish to see a government in Kabul that is representative of the aspirations of the people of Afghanistan,” the Senate chairman added.

He said Pakistan had played a pivotal role in taking forward the peace process in good faith and as a shared responsibility.

He added that Pakistan remained the most natural partner of Afghanistan for its effective rehabilitation, reconstruction and economic revival.

He said the state, government and people of Pakistan always remained with their Afghan brethren during all odds and would continue to do so as both the countries were integral to one another.

He said both the countries should seek new avenues for mutual cooperation and prioritise each other for trade rather than preferring the other countries for this purpose.

He called for an active interaction between the youth in both countries to steer the mutual collaboration.

The Senate chairman also said people in the occupied Kashmir were facing brutalities of the Indian forces and added that the Afghan government and the people should support the cause of Kashmir.

He said parliament of Pakistan was planning to send delegations to different countries for raising the issue and human rights violations in the occupied region by the Indian forces.

He said keeping in view the importance of Afghanistan as a brotherly neighbour country, he and the speaker of National Assembly would lead a delegation to Kabul to deliberate the issue and seek support of the Afghan parliament and people on the issue of Kashmir. Leader of the House in Senate Senator Shibli Faraz and Senator Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif called for finding common solution to the common problems confronting both Afghanistan and Pakistan as both the countries shared common religion, faith, culture and history.

The head of the visiting delegation Senator Qais Khan Wakilli said Afghanistan cannot forget the support extended by Pakistan, especially during the Afghan war, and for hosting millions of Afghan refugees.

He appreciated the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts carried out by Pakistan in different regions of Afghanistan and expressed the hope that this support would be extended for developing the health infrastructure in the country.

Senator Wakilli said there was a need to improve legislation on both sides to facilitate the enhancement of bilateral trade.

He lauded the role played by Pakistan in the Afghan peace process and said Kashmir was not only a problem of Pakistan and Afghanistan rather it was an issue of the whole Muslim Ummah.

“Kashmiris are being subjected to torture and brutalities,” Senator Wakilli said and added: “We support Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and insist on the government of India to withdraw the recent changes to the constitution with regard to Kashmir.”

The members of the Afghan delegation said both Pakistan and Afghanistan were facing the threat of terrorism and extremism and should find a common solution to it.

They said the Kashmir issue was close to their hearts and they condemned the doing away with Article 370 of the Indian constitution.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2019