News
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Nawaz asks Taliban to join peace talks* PM says whenever there is some progress on dialogue, an unfortunate incident takes place
* Offers Afghanistan all-out support in efforts for peace, technical help in polls
LONDON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that his government wants peace not only in Pakistan but the region, and asked the Taliban to join the peace process and become part of the political process.
In an interview with a private TV channel in London, the prime minister said that his government is serious in negotiations with the Taliban. He said that he has tasked Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to pursue talks process with the Taliban. The prime minister said that he wants to include all stakeholders, including the Taliban, in the negotiations. Nawaz said that the Taliban should join the peace council and become part of the political process.
The prime minister added that Interior Minister Chaurdhy Nisar had been given the responsibility for dialogue with the Taliban. He said that whenever there is progress regarding dialogue an unfortunate incident takes place. “We are serious in our efforts to hold dialogue with the Taliban.” According to the prime minister, Pakistan wanted peace in the entire region and dialogue was integral for peace in Afghanistan. He offered Afghanistan all-out support in efforts for peace and technical assistance in elections. The prime minister is in London to attend the World Islamic Economic Forum.
Prime Minister Nawaz, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and British Prime Minister David Cameron reaffirmed their continuing commitment for the Afghan peace process. During their trilateral meeting at the Downing Street the three leaders discussed economic co-operation and the Afghan-led peace process to which they all reaffirmed their continuing commitment. They continued their dialogue about Afghanistan and Pakistan’s shared interest in advancing regional peace, stability and prosperity. This was the first meeting of the three countries since Prime Minister Nawaz assumed his office.
A statement issued by the British prime minister’s office at Downing Street after the trilateral meeting quoted a spokesperson as saying that Prime Minister Cameron praised as an excellent opportunity for the UK to broaden and deepen relationship with trading partners across the Islamic world. Cameron had said on Monday that London aims to become a top capital of Islamic finance as the city played host to the first World Islamic Forum outside the Muslim world. “Already London is the biggest centre for Islamic finance outside the Islamic world. And today our ambition is to go further still,” Cameron told more than 1,800 political and business leaders at the ninth forum, dubbed the “Davos of the Muslim world”.
“I don’t just want London to be a great capital of Islamic finance in the Western world, I want London to stand alongside Dubai and Kuala Lumpur as one of the great capitals of Islamic finance anywhere in the world,” he said. “Investing in London is good for you and opening London up to your investment is good for us.” More than 20 UK banks currently offer Islamic financial products, while 49 Islamic bonds – called sukuks – with a total value of $34 billion, have been listed over the last five years on the London Stock Exchange. But Cameron aims to expand well beyond this. “When Islamic finance is growing 50 percent faster than traditional banking and when global Islamic investments are set to grow to £1.3 trillion by 2014, we want to make sure a big proportion of that new investment is made here in Britain.”
As part of realising his ambitions, Cameron announced a new “Islamic Index” on the London Stock Exchange and revealed plans for Britain to release an Islamic bond. “This means the creation of a new way of identifying Islamic finance opportunities – a world-leading Islamic Market Index,” he explained. The index will identify companies that meet traditional Islamic investment principles. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk