Govt striving for security consensus: Qureshi

MULTAN:

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Saturday Pakistan wished to engage senior Afghan leaders to sit together and lead their country towards durable peace, stressing that a negotiated settlement was the best option for the war-battered nation.

Talking to the media, he said that he had invited Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar to visit Pakistan, while efforts were afoot to contact senior leadership of the Taliban and leaders from the northern areas of Afghanistan.

The minister said another security briefing for lawmakers would be held soon. “The government wants to build a national strategy with consensus,” he said.

Responding to a question, Qureshi stated that he held detailed discussion with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to improve coordination and cooperation for peace in Afghanistan. He added that Pakistan and US shared fundamental convergence, which aimed at peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan and the US have same objective – to maintain peace in Afghanistan,” the foreign minister said. “There is no military solution in Afghanistan and peace is possible only through talks,” he said. “Also, America is a big market for Pakistan and Pakistan wants to strengthen its economic ties with US.”

Responding to another question about influx of Afghan refugees in case a civil war broke out in the neighbouring country, Qureshi said “[Pakistan] has learned many things from its past experience. Pakistan will also review Iran’s model to handle the refugee situation.

Insurgents may also sneak into the country in the guise of refugees, so we will formulate the policy as per the situation,” he stated. APP