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Pakistan urges meaningful reconciliation as way out of Afghan conflict
NEW YORK, Sept 22 (APP): Stressing that military means alone cannot solve the Afghan conflict, Pakistan has said a meaningful reconciliation holds out the best prospects for way forward in its insurgency-hit western neighbor. “Pakistan has long held the view that there is no military solution to the conflict in that country. The military agenda is critical, but it is far from the only mechanism for sustained peace,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the Council on Foreign Relations.“Meaningful reconciliation, Afghan led and Afghan owned, is the only way forward,” added the Pakistani top diplomat, who is representing his country here at the UN General Assembly session.
Qureshi told the gathering of experts and academics that during Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s recent visit to Islamabad, the Pakistani government reiterated its offer of support to his initiative for reconciliation and reintegration.
In his speech, foreign minister noted that Afghanistan will only find peace once all segments of the Afghan society are enabled to participate in a democratic and representative polity. And once the drug issue and gun running are effectively addressed.
In reference to continued international engagement with the country, the diplomat said Pakistan believes that “for the sake of regional security and stability, it is important to stay the course in Afghanistan.”
He told the Council that Pakistan has a 2,400 kilometers long daunting and porous border with Afghanistan.
“We are home to over 3 million Afghan refugees, a tragic legacy of the Soviet occupation of that country.”
The presence of such a large number of Afghan nationals on our soil translates into a security linkage, he remarked.
The security of Pakistan is linked with the security of Afghanistan, he declared, adding “only a stable Afghanistan, at peace with itself, can ensure a stable, peaceful region.”
“Pakistan has always had, and we will always have legitimate stakes in Afghanistan’s peace, security and stability,” Qureshi said.
Courtesy www.app.com.pk