Qureshi lauds Pakistani role in US-Taliban negotiations

MULTAN (92 News) – Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday lauded Pakistani vital role behind the recent negotiations between the United States and the Afghan Taliban. Speaking to the journalists while commenting on the Pak-US relation, Qureshi said that Pakistan played a vital role in bringing the Taliban leadership to the table, terming that the recent negotiations between the US and the Afghan Taliban as a major diplomatic victory. The foreign minister said that Pakistan has pursued a regional outlook by reaching out to different countries and advocating its resolve for a stable and peaceful region. “The world has accepted Pakistan’s stance on the peace process.” He highlighted that Pakistan has remained committed for peace in Afghanistan, and successfully convinced Taliban leaders to hold talks with US officials on the negotiating table. “Thereby, a new chapter of Pakistan’s relations with the US has been started,” he said, adding that Pakistan would continue to strive for the rights of Kashmiris. He maintained that Pakistan has been asserting that war was not the solution to any of the problems in the region. The foreign minister said that during his visit to Britain in the next month, he would raise voice for the rights of Kashmiris. Qureshi said that the meetings of US Senator Lindsey Graham held with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa during his visit to Pakistan. “Lindsey Graham admitted that the US was on mistake,” he clarified. The minister said that Graham had agreed that talks and negotiations were the only solution to peace in Afghanistan. He explained that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will not bargain in relation with US. Responding to a question about the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Qureshi said that the government does not want to make Shehbaz as the PAC chairman but the opposition was stick to this point. “We accept the demand of the opposition for the proceedings of the National Assembly,” he said. He further said that the PAC chairman should be from the opposition, however, the attitude of the opposition has hindered the proceedings of the National Assembly. The foreign minister said he is visiting Oman on Tuesday to discuss entire spectrum of bilateral and regional cooperation with the leadership of that country. He said he will visit London on 3rd of next month where he will raise before the House of Commons,  the Kashmir cause and present Pakistan`s stance on Kashmir and Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir.. A day earlier, the US and the Taliban made substantial headway in negotiations held in Qatar to end the 17-year US war in Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad, who was named by US President Donald Trump´s administration to find a way out of the war, held an unusually long six days of talks with Taliban representatives in Qatar. While no details were revealed, floated proposals include a withdrawal by the United States of its troops in return for Taliban guarantees not to shelter foreign extremists – the initial reason for the US intervention. It is pertinent to mention here that Trump has been eager to end America's longest war, which was launched shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Trump has already said he will pull half of the 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan.