Love thy neighbour: Pak ambassador stresses on cordial ties with Afghanistan

The need is to address outstanding disputes in a timely manner and remove misconceptions surrounding them, says envoy.

PESHAWAR:

“A peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is an integral part of Pakistan’s foreign policy, and we strongly support the reconciliation process between all ethnic groups and stakeholders in the war affected country,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq said on Thursday.

Sadiq made the remarks while addressing a seminar titled ‘Pak-Afghan Relations in the Changing World Scenario’, arranged by the University of Peshawar’s (UoP) Department of Political Science at Archaeology Museum Hall University.

“The need is to address outstanding disputes in a timely manner and remove the misconceptions surrounding them,” Sadiq added. He maintained it was important to move forward with regional prosperity.

Sadiq said annual trade between the two countries was recorded at $2 billion, but maintained unofficial trade amounted to $5 billion. He pointed out Pakistan’s focus on the Afghan people went beyond simply considering ethnic groups that were Pukhtun-centric. Sadiq added 2,000 Afghan students had been granted scholarships in Pakistani universities in the past three years.

With respect to Pakistan’s efforts in reconstructing Afghanistan, Sadiq claimed the newly completed Liaquat Ali Khan Engineering University at Balkh had been handed over to the Afghan government. Several other educational and infrastructure projects are underway, he added.

In response to a question, the ambassador denied Pakistan’s foreign policy relied around using Afghanistan for strategic purposes.

Sadiq observed Afghanistan had steered clear of Pakistan’s western borders even during the 1965 and 1971 wars, dispelling any theories regarding Afghanistan’s inclination towards India. He added both Pakistan and India had four consulates in Afghanistan and claimed a balance was maintained there.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2013.