‘Past is an invaluable teacher to learn from but not to live in’

Must look forward towards future, PM Imran tweets after meeting Afghanistan’s Abdullah

Prime Minister Imran Khan, after meeting Chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Dr Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday, called for focusing on future as he wished him success in his mission to accomplish peace in the neighbouring country.

"Enjoyed meeting Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman HCNR of Afghanistan. We had a very interesting conversation: theme being the Past is an invaluable teacher to learn from but not to live in,” PM wrote on his official Twitter handle.

The premier said we must look forward towards the future, wishing Abdullah all the success in his mission.

Enjoyed meeting Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman HCNR of Afghanistan. We had a very interesting conversation: theme being the Past is an invaluable teacher to learn from but not to live in. We must look forward towards the future. I wish him all the success in his mission.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 30, 2020

Dr Abdullah is currently on a three-day visit to Pakistan amidst the backdrop of on-going peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban.

This is the first high-level visit from Afghanistan in several months, highlighting increased interaction between the two neighbours with prospects of a possible political end to the two-decade-long war in sight.

“Pakistan has played an important role in the Afghan peace process and I thank you for that as I look forward to a joint peaceful future for our region. I am a firm believer of going beyond rhetoric and conspiracies. We need fresh approaches toward peace,” Abdullah had said while speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad on Tuesday alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Abdullah said that using patience, compromise, dialogue and sacrifices made over the past 19 years, Afghanistan wishes for sustainable peace.

Speaking at the conference, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi assured Pakistan's complete support to the Afghan peace process.

“Pakistan respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan has no favourites and it does not want to meddle in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.

The foreign minister emphasised the need for greater collaboration between the two countries in different fields to build a common future.