ISLAMABAD : Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday expressed concern over recent attacks in Afghanistan and said that reduction in violence is imperative to move forward.

Speaking at the inaugural session of Pak-Afghan Bilateral Dialogue in Islamabad, he said the warring sides, including the Afghan government and Taliban, will have to demonstrate flexibility to reach a settlement.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi also voiced concern over anti-Pakistan statements of Afghanistan’s vice president and National Security Adviser and demanded that this blame game must stop.

He said Pakistan could not be held responsible for all the ills plaguing Afghanistan. There are spoilers inside and outside Afghanistan and both the parties should be fully cognizant of their nefarious designs, he stressed.

The foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to continue playing its constructive role for the success of Intra-Afghan Peace talks. Pakistan is now being recognised at the world level as part of solution and not part of problem, he maintained.

He opined that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan and the entire region, he added.