FM Qureshi discusses Afghan peace, ME tensions with Qatari counterpart

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani lauds Pakistan’s sincere efforts in promoting peace in the region

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday met with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha and held talks on wide-ranging topics including the Afghan peace process, Middle East tensions and the Kashmir lockdown.

He arrived in Doha earlier in the day after concluding his three-day visit to the United States. The senior officials of Qatar foreign ministry AND Pakistan’S envoy in the country, Syed Ahsan Raza Shah received the foreign minister at the Doha airport.

While appreciating the foreign minister’s visit to Doha, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, who also holds the portfolio of the country’s deputy prime minister, acknowledged Pakistan’s sincere efforts in facilitating Afghan peace process and promoting peace in the region.



The visit comes as the US and Taliban are expected to reach a withdrawal agreement by the end of January and are prepared to “scale down” military operations ahead of signing the deal, according to a statement issued by a Taliban spokesperson.

FM Qureshi on Thursday said that the Afghan Taliban had shown “willingness” to reduce violence in Afghanistan after more than 18 years of war with the US.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

During the meeting, Qureshi said the mediatory role of Islamabad in brokering peace in Afghanistan have been acknowledged by the international community and expressed hope that the decades-long conflict in the war torn country is nearing its end.

FM Qureshi also apprised his Qatari counterpart of the grim human rights situation of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K), which has been under lockdown since August 5 when New Delhi revoked its autonomous status.



PHOTO: EXPRESS

FM Qureshi said the valley of 8 million people has been turned into an open jail and the oppressed people of Kashmir are looking towards international community particularly the Muslim world for help.

The two leaders emphasised the need to defuse ongoing tensions in the Middle East through diplomatic means, which escalated following the assassination of top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Iraq earlier this month.

The foreign minister appreciated Qatar’s support for Afghan peace process and expressed the hope that the latest positive development would pave the way for the awaited peace agreement.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani welcomes FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Doha pic.twitter.com/jISooUg1wj

— The Express Tribune (@etribune) January 18, 2020

Qureshi also briefed the Qatari deputy premier on his recent visit to Iran and Saudi Arabia where he urged all sides to exercise maximum restraint and avoid taking any further escalatory steps to defuse tensions in the region.

https://twitter.com/etribune/status/1218582312524357633

During his visit to the US, the foreign minister held several meetings, including the one with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo and US lawmakers, and briefed the US leadership on Pakistan’s efforts for defusing tensions in the Middle East and gaining a momentum towards a deal between the United States and the Afghan Taliban.

The US authorities appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for peace in the region, which was considered a great diplomatic triumph for Islamabad.