Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah in a telephonic call discussed Afghanistan peace process update and Pakistan and Afghanistan bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan supports the Afghan peace process and wished that peace talks would start as soon as possible. He said Afghan leaders should secure long-lasting peace, stability and prosperity from this historic peace process.

Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah in a tweet said, “In a phone call with HE Imran Khan, I appreciated Pakistan’s support for the peace process. We reiterated on the unique opportunity to reduce violence, start I/A talks & pursue a path to a dignified and durable peace.”

“I thanked the PM for the invitation, and will visit Pakistan in near future,” he further said.

https://twitter.com/DrabdullahCE/status/1298601643114627073

Khan said he hopes the current crises in Afghanistan will culminate with the establishment of peace and stability. “Pakistan is looking for a positive role in Afghans peace process,” Imran Khan said. 

24NewsHD TV channel reported that Khan said “peace and stability in Afghanistan mean peace and stability in Pakistan and the beginning of more effective joint regional cooperation” according to the official press release of the conversation by Sapedar Palace.

He also extended a formal invitation to Abdullah to visit Pakistan.

Abdullah thanked Khan for his support and added, “An exceptional opportunity for peace has been provided in Afghanistan and we must seize this opportunity to achieve it.”

The Afghan leader thanked him for his cooperation in the regional consensus for achieving peace and for the invitation to visit Pakistan.

The two sides also stressed in their talks that reducing violence could pave the way for the intra-Afghan negotiations to start.

Earlier on 25 August, Taliban Political Commission (TPC) delegation, headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, called on Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi today. During the meeting, views were exchanged on the current status of the Afghan peace process and the way forward.

Welcoming the delegation, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi underscored Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consistent stance that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a political settlement was the only way forward. 

Highlighting Pakistan’s positive contribution to the peace and reconciliation process, culminating in the U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement in Doha on 29 February 2020, the Foreign Minister said that this historic opportunity must be seized by the Afghan stakeholders to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive negotiated political solution.

Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. 

The Foreign Minister emphasized the implementation of the U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement, in its entirety, paving the way for the earliest possible commencement of Intra-Afghan Negotiations. 

FO Spokesperson said that Foreign Minister also cautioned against ‘spoilers’ who did not wish to see the return of peace in the region. For its part, the Foreign Minister stressed, Pakistan will continue to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for durable peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.