Pakistan will continue to play ‘sincere role’: FO

Only political settlement to bring peace in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Thursday said it will continue to play a ‘sincere role’ in facilitating Afghan peace talks after the Taliban refused to enter into the negotiations planned for the first week of March.

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told reporters at his weekly news briefing that Pakistan had taken note of the Afghan Taliban’s statement which set certain pre-conditions for the peace process.



“Although we don’t comment on media reports, I wish to underline that it has been our consistent position that a politically negotiated settlement is the most viable option for bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan,” Nafees said when asked to comment on the prospects of Afghan peace talks.

The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the US have been making efforts to bring the Taliban and other insurgent groups to the negotiating table. Pakistan was to host the direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban representatives in the first week of March.



However, Taliban refused to accept the talks offer and apparently linked the process with certain preconditions including release of certain prisoners as well as lifting of sanctions on their leaders.

The FO spokesman said Pakistan along with other QCG countries would continue to make joint efforts for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban under the principle of shared commitment.



“We will continue to play our sincere role in this regard. [Afghanistan’s} President [Ashraf] Ghani has renewed the invitation to all the groups,” Nafees added.

Kashmir oldest dispute

Responding to another question regarding the recent statement made by the British foreign secretary that the resolution of longstanding Kashmir dispute should not be a pre-condition for resumption of talks between Pakistan and India, the spokesperson said the dispute was on the agenda of the dialogue ‘whenever it takes place’.

He also said Kashmir was one of the oldest outstanding issues on the United Nations agenda. “There are numerous UN Security Council resolutions, pending their implementation, which envisage the right to self-determination for the Kashmiris,” he stated.

The spokesperson welcomed the Pakistan-US joint statement, which explicitly mentioned resolution of Kashmir issue.



Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the FO, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on behalf of the people of Pakistan, as well as on his own behalf, prayed for full and speedy recovery of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani who suffered a heart attack in New Delhi on Thursday.

“The prime minister said Syed Geelani’s indefatigable leadership is a beacon of freedom for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We pray for his quick recovery and good health,” the statement added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2016.