Pakistan wants stable govt in Afghanistan: Fawad

Says Islamabad ready to play its role in easing out tensions between US, China

ISLAMABAD:

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has echoed the prime minister words that the government would never allow anyone to use Pakistani territory against Afghanistan, stressing that Islamabad wanted to see a stable government in Kabul.

“Peace inside Afghanistan is very important for Pakistan,” he said in a video message on Saturday. The information minister talked about Pakistan-US relations especially in the context of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.

Quoting the recent interview of PM Imran Khan to the International New York Times, he said the PM had clearly stated his views regarding relations with the US, China, and Afghanistan. The PM had expressed his desire for the stability of Afghanistan and vowed to help Afghanistan in achieving peace, Fawad said.

Read: Pakistan hopes ‘Taliban won’t allow TTP to operate in Afghanistan’

He stressed the need for taking all stakeholders on board for establishing a stable government in Afghanistan. The solution to the Afghanistan issue must come out by keeping warring factions in the loop, the information minister added.

“Taliban were persuaded by Pakistan to negotiate first with the US and then with the Afghan authorities,” he said, adding that the PM in his interview had also stated: “Pakistan will not allow its territory to be used by anyone against Afghanistan.”

The information minister said that PM Imran was of the view that Pakistan might consider sealing its borders completely with Afghanistan – if the situation continues to deteriorate.

“Pakistan has already fenced off 90 per cent area of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and right now the country is in a position to completely seal the border with Afghanistan,” Fawad said.

He said the premier termed both the US and China as economic powers and the improvement in relations between the two economic powers would have positive impacts on the world environment.

PM Imran has outlined a new dimension to relations with the US by stressing the need for strengthening economic ties rather than security ties, Fawad said.

The minister assured that Pakistan was ready to play its role in easing out tensions between China and the United States, recalling that Islamabad had also played a role during 1970 when tensions between the Washington and Beijing were at an “all-time high”.

Read more: Pakistan expresses concern over growing violence in Afghanistan

He said the prime minister has also expressed his optimism for better relations with India. “If our relations with India improve in the future, then Pakistan will have a geographically important position between India and China, two major trade markets, so the world, including the US, will not be able to ignore Pakistan,” he added.

Meanwhile, Fawad said that another “indigenously manufactured ventilator” was registered after completing all required formalities to maintain a standard.

In a tweet, he said: “Every Pakistani is proud of the great achievements of Pakistani scientists and engineers in the field of medical engineering, especially over the last two years. The way the nation has put its energies together to fight the Covid-19 pandemic is praiseworthy for all and sundry.”