Abdullah discusses peace process with Pakistan’s PM

Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah spoke with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on the phone Wednesday to discuss the Afghan peace process and the importance of Pakistan’s support.

According to a statement issued by Abdullah’s office, Khan reaffirmed his support to the Afghan peace process and said he hopes intra-Afghan negotiations start soon so as to “end the current crisis in the country.”

Khan noted that peace in Afghanistan meant peace and stability in Pakistan and that peace would boost regional cooperation.

“There is a remarkable opportunity for peace in Afghanistan and we must seize this opportunity to achieve peace,” Abdullah told Khan.

Abdullah also highlighted the importance of regional consensus and Pakistan’s collaboration for bringing peace in Afghanistan.

“Both sides reiterated that a reduction in violence could create an environment for negotiations between the two sides (government and Taliban),” read the statement.

Khan meanwhile invited Abdullah to visit Islamabad, a statement issued by Abdullah’s office said.

The discussion between the two coincided with a trip by a Taliban delegation, led by the group’s deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, to Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the Qatar-based group, met with Foreign Minister Mahmood Qureshi and discussed issues around the peace process.

In the meeting, Qureshi emphasized that “there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a political settlement was the only way forward.”

The “Foreign Minister underlined that this historic opportunity must be seized by the Afghan stakeholders to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive negotiated political solution,” a statement issued by Qureshi’s office said.

Qureshi also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, and prosperous Afghanistan and emphasized the need for the implementation of the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha in February so as to pave the way for the immediate start of intra-Afghan negotiations.

“The Foreign Minister also cautioned against ‘spoilers’ who did not wish to see the return of peace in the region,” the statement read.
In addition to discussions around peace, Qureshi also highlighted the importance of Pakistan-Afghanistan ties based on amity, shared history, and geography and reaffirmed Pakistan’s abiding solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.

He urged the international community to enhance its engagement for reconstruction and economic development of Afghanistan.