Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said he will not make positive comments about the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) as long as Afghan girls remain barred from attending school.

Speaking to the Financial Times during an interview at his home in Kabul, Karzai said IEA officials frequently contact him to complain about his public statements and ask why he does not say something positive about their government.

Karzai said he tells them that positive remarks will not come from him until girls are allowed to return to school. “When girls go back to school, I will have something positive to say about you. Not today,” he said.

The former president also described education for girls and women’s participation in society as fundamental to Afghanistan’s future. He said educated Afghan women are needed in business, schools, medicine, engineering, the judiciary and the media.

Karzai also called for political coexistence in Afghanistan, saying both the IEA and its opponents are Afghans and that the country needs compromise rather than another cycle of conflict and changes in power.

“The Taliban (IEA) belongs to Afghanistan. And the opposition to the Taliban (IEA) belongs to Afghanistan,” he said, adding that Afghanistan needs to become “a country for everyone.”

The former president also said the ongoing US-Iran conflict is having a significant impact on Afghanistan’s economy and regional stability. Given Afghanistan’s close historical, cultural and geographic ties with Iran, Karzai said Afghanistan strongly wants the conflict to end.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani, met with Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad on Friday and briefed him on the regional security situation.

According to Pakistani officials, the discussions focused particularly on security developments affecting Pakistan’s peace and stability.

Earlier on Thursday, Nizamani met with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad. The meeting covered regional developments, including the evolving security situation and issues of relevance to Pakistan.

Dar stressed the importance of closely monitoring developments in the region, particularly those that could have implications for peace and security.

Speakers at a symposium on Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have called for moving beyond a conflict-centered approach and promoting dialogue, economic cooperation, regional connectivity and people-to-people engagement.

Pakistani journalist Tahir Khan reported that the symposium brought together senior government officials, technical experts, former ministers and bureaucrats, former vice chancellors, business and trade representatives, academics and researchers to discuss contemporary challenges and opportunities in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

The Area Study Centre (Russia, China and Central Asia) at the University of Peshawar, in collaboration with ASPIRE-KP, hosted the symposium titled “Beyond Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict: Advancing Regional Peace and Mutual Understanding,” according to a statement posted online by the Area Study Centre.

Former Pakistani senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, speaking at the event, referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where Xi called for efforts to address conflicts, including the situation in Afghanistan.

“On Ukraine, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and other international and regional hotspot issues, China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with all parties, continue tackling both the symptoms and root causes of these issues, and promote political settlement,” Xi said on Tuesday.