ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of the region.
In his speech at the inaugural session of the Afghan peace conference title ‘Lahore Process’ in Bhurban Murree on Saturday, he said that the blame game is not in the interest of anyone. “Common enemies of both countries damaged the bilateral relations.”
The minister said that Pakistan was mostly affected by the Afghan crisis.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan’s unshakable resolve to support lasting peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan besides lending support to the reconstruction and development efforts in the war-torn country.
He maintained that Pakistan stood for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and remained fully committed to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. “We are determined to build our bilateral relationship on the principles of non-interference, mutual respect and common interest.”
“We must not let anyone resurrect this dead horse to advance their propagandist aims or seek to sow the seeds of misunderstanding between us and our Afghan brethren,” he added.
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Qureshi said that they wanted to see a friendly Afghanistan governed by an elected leadership and representative of the aspirations of all Afghans.
About the previous mistrust between the two neighbours, he said for too long, the vicious circle of mistrust, often fed into by their common enemies, had affected their relationship. “It is indispensable to move away from this negative paradigm,” he emphasized.
Appreciating the Afghan political leadership, he said that the people of Afghanistan were looking towards their leaders including all those present here, with the hope for a better future, a future, that they so earnestly deserved.
A number of prominent Afghan leadership including Afghan High Peace Council chairman Karim Khalili, Gulbuddin Hikmatyar, Ustad Atta Noor and others attended the conference.