The National Security Council (NSC) which met with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair on Monday to deliberate upon Taliban takeover in Afghanistan reiterated Pakistan's desire for having a peaceful neighbourhood. 

The meeting participants including key cabinet members, services chiefs, and senior officials insisted that the international community must recognise the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan for peace in Afghanistan over the past decades. They stressed the need for resolving the issues through inclusive political discourse among all Afghan ethnic groups and stakeholders. 

The council meeting emphasised that military action has never been the solution to the Afghanistan problem. The NSC noted that time is ripe for the international community to work together to ensure an inclusive political settlement for lasting peace, security, and development of Afghanistan and the region.

The council reaffirmed Pakistan's support for an inclusive political settlement in the war-torn country, calling upon all political parties in Afghanistan to respect and protect human rights.

The meeting reiterated Islamabad's commitment to stick by the principle of non-interference in Afghanistan. It laid emphasis on stepping up efforts to put a permanent end to the use of Afghan soil by terrorist groups, according to the PMO statement.

The meeting added: "The ideal time to end the conflict through negotiations might have been when the US/Nato troops were at maximum military strength in Afghanistan. Continuation of foreign military presence for a longer duration now would not have yielded a different outcome.

"Therefore, US President Joe Biden's administration's endorsement of the decision made during the Donald Trump presidency –  to withdraw all United States troops from Afghanistan –  was indeed a logical conclusion to this conflict."

https://twitter.com/PakPMO/status/1427283271184965633

Prime Minister Imran Khan directed that all possible facilities be made available to repatriate Pakistanis, diplomats, journalists, and staff of international organisations seeking to leave Afghanistan. He heaped praise on the Pakistan embassy in Kabul and the state machinery for the purpose.