DNA

ISLAMABAD – Head of Massoud Foundation, Mr. Ahmed Wali Massoud, called on Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, today. The exchange of views focused on the Afghan Peace Process and Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations.

During the meeting, the Foreign Minister welcomed Mr. Ahmad Wali Massoud’s visit to Pakistan and lauded the historic contribution of Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud as a key Mujaheedin leader during the Afghan resistance.

As regards Afghan peace process, the Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s facilitation of the U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement and the commencement of Intra-Afghan Negotiations. The Foreign Minister stressed that this historic opportunity must be seized by the Afghan leaders to achieve an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.

The Foreign Minister expressed serious concern at the current level of violence and underscored that all sides must take measures for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire. The Foreign Minister also underlined the need for being vigilant about the role of “spoilers”. Highlighting that Pakistan had no favourites in Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister reiterated that Pakistan’s message to all sides was to work together constructively for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. He added that this would open new vistas for trade, economic cooperation and regional connectivity.

Foreign Minister Qureshi highlighted that Pakistan had taken a number of steps to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and people-to-people linkages including opening of border despite COVID-19, introduction of friendly visa regime, and scholarships for Afghan students. The Foreign Minister emphasized that all these measures were practical manifestations of Pakistan’s desire for closer ties with Afghanistan. The Foreign Minister also appreciated the role of Massoud Foundation in the social sectors and noted that it could play an important part in promoting civil society and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The Foreign Minister expressed the hope that the Afghan peace process would achieve its desired objective of return of peace and stability in Afghanistan. He reaffirmed that Pakistan, on its part, will continue to play a constructive role.