Pakistan wants 'responsible withdrawal' of US troops from Afghanistan: FM Qureshi

FM Qureshi is representing Pakistan in the historic peace deal signing ceremony

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday said Pakistan wants a 'responsible withdrawal' of US troops from Afghanistan after the historic peace deal between the US and Afghan-Taliban is signed.

"We want a responsible withdrawal," Qureshi told Reuters in Qatar's capital of Doha, when asked about the timeframe for American forces' departure. “It's an important day. Hopefully, it will set the tone for peace and stability in Afghanistan.”



FM further said that the pact could bring an end to the United States' 18-year war in Afghanistan. The country [Afghanistan] would need the world’s support in rehabilitation and recuperation, added.



US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad called upon FM Qureshi to update him about the peace deal.

“Pakistan hopes for intra-Afghan dialogue,” FM Qureshi said. “Pakistan would continue its efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.”

Saturday is a "monumental day for Afghanistan", the United States embassy in Kabul said on Twitter, just hours before the signing of a pact with Taliban that could bring an end to the 18-year war in the South Asian nation.

Today is a monumental day for Afghanistan. ".. it is about making peace & crafting a common brighter future." We stand with #Afghanistan. #AfghanPeaceProcess https://t.co/eoP0xftZaa

— U.S. Embassy Kabul (@USEmbassyKabul) February 29, 2020

The embassy officials added: "It is about making peace and crafting a common brighter future. We stand with Afghanistan."

Once the deal is signed Afghanistan, which has been at war since American bombings began in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, stands to see an end to the violence that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The peace deal is likely to be signed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder of the Taliban movement and a top US official.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will attend the signing of US-Taliban troop withdrawal pact.

FM Qureshi would represent Pakistan in the historic peace deal signing ceremony.

Ahead of the ceremony, Qureshi told an audience at Pakistan’s Embassy in Doha that the US-Taliban deal is a vindication of Islamabad’s stance that there is no military solution to the Afghan imbroglio.

Pakistan has played a key role in brokering the deal between the US and the Taliban since it not only facilitated the talks but also persuaded the insurgents to show flexibility on the issue of reduction of violence as well as an intra-Afghan dialogue.

Delegates from other countries will also attend the ceremony while the Taliban said the brother of the Taliban deputy chief, Anas Haqqani, who was recently freed by Afghanistan and Australian professor Timothy Weeks, remained in the captivity of the Taliban from 2016 till his release recently, would also witness the signing ceremony.

Although official details are not available yet, the proposed agreement envisages a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, release of prisoners by both the sides and guarantees that the Taliban will not allow the Afghan soil to be used again by terrorist groups such as al Qaeda.



Observers believe the deal cannot be called a peace deal but rather an agreement that would pave the way for an intra-Afghan dialogue.

The talks between the Taliban and other Afghan groups – including the current Kabul administration – will hammer out crucial issues such as the post-US troops' withdrawal political set up, a permanent ceasefire and rights of minorities, women and other matters.

Sceptics ask whether the Taliban would show any flexibility in their hardline approach, particularly towards the rights of women.

(With additional input from Reuters)