Blaming Pakistan for Afghanistan unrest unfair, Imran tells Ghani

TASHKENT: Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged Kabul to consider Pakistan as a “partner in peace” and refrain from blaming it for the civil war inside Afghanistan, which he reiterated was the “outcome” of American insistence on seeking a military solution of a political crisis.

“Blaming Pakistan for what is going on in Afghanistan is extremely unfair […] Peace in Afghanistan is our foremost priority,” the prime minister said at the international conference on “Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities” held in Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent on Thursday.

Imran is currently on a two-day visit to the central Asian country.

The prime minister’s remarks came shortly before he and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who was also present during the speech, were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the conference.

Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI and President of Afghanistan @AshrafGhani met on the sidelines of Central and South Asia 2021: Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities’ conference#PMIKinUzbekistan pic.twitter.com/nDy5WbCvIv

— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) July 16, 2021

“President Ghani! Let me just say that the country that will be most affected by turmoil in Afghanistan is Pakistan. Pakistan suffered 70,000 casualties in the last 15 years. The last thing Pakistan wants is more conflict,” he said, as he stopped reading from his written speech.

Islamabad played a vital role in the United States-Taliban negotiations, which resulted in a deal between the two in February 2020.

But it hoped that the deal would pave the way for a power-sharing agreement between different stakeholders in Afghanistan. That hasn’t happened, and with the abrupt announcement of the complete and unconditional departure of American troops from Afghanistan by President Joe Biden, it now looks almost impossible.

Rejecting Ghani’s assertions of Islamabad for “not supporting peace” in the war-torn country, Imran asserted Pakistan did not want turmoil in its neighbouring country, because a peaceful Afghanistan was in its [Pakistan’s] own interest.

“Mr Ghani! I want to make it clear to you that Pakistan will be the last country to think about supporting turmoil and unrest in Afghanistan,” he said.

The prime minister said Pakistan would continue to support reconciliation in Afghanistan and urged the domestic stakeholders and the international community to gear up efforts for a “politically negotiated settlement”.

As Pakistan’s economy was recovering following a difficult phase, the country wanted peace on its Western border to ensure the completion of development projects for the betterment of the entire region, he said.

Imran said Pakistan had made every effort for durable peace in Afghanistan, including bringing the Taliban to the dialogue table. However, he said, the right time to engage the Taliban in negotiations was way before the American announcement of the pullout of its troops from Afghanistan.

“Why would the Taliban listen to Pakistan at a time when they are gaining victory after the withdrawal of [foreign] troops,” he pointed out, adding the US always insisted on a military solution to the Afghan conflict.

He said Pakistan was already hosting over three million refugees from Afghanistan and did not have the capacity to bear another influx of refugees which he observed seemed inevitable in the wake of further turmoil.

The prime minister said in his Thursday’s meeting with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, he discussed the ways how the neighbouring countries of central Asia could support peace and stability in Afghanistan for regional prosperity.

Imran said another challenge to regional development was the “unsettled disputes” in South Asia, including the issue of Indian-occupied Kashmir.

“The unsettled disputes between Pakistan and India remain a challenge with Kashmir as the main issue,” he said. Unfortunately, because of such a situation, the huge potential of regional development remained untapped, he lamented.

The prime minister said Pakistan believed in regional connectivity by promoting the land and sea linkages among the countries to boost economic activity.

He said Gwadar sea port had the potential to cater to the needs of central and south Asian regions as a regional transportation hub.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would prove a harbinger of development and prosperity for the region, benefitting the two regions, he said.

The conference gathered Mirziyoyev, Ghani, the foreign ministers and high representatives of central and south Asian countries and the heads of international and regional organisations and financial institutions.

The main objective of the forum was to strengthen historically close and friendly ties, trust and good-neighbourly ties between the regional states.

During the plenary and the breakout sessions, the forum participants discussed the possibilities of promoting initiatives aimed at developing trade, economic, transport, communication and cultural and humanitarian cooperation in the context of further deepening regional connectivity.

Earlier speaking to reporters at the forum, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that to ensure the development of the region, regional connectivity was of utmost importance.

National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf told the media that Pakistan was moving from a geo-strategic position to a geo-economic one with the sole objective of ensuring regional prosperity.

Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said the conference was attended by 60 countries and will have a far-reaching impact on regional connectivity.

He said Imran, in his talks with the Uzbek leadership, proposed that a rail and road link be established between Tashkent and Gwadar.