Ijaz Kakakhel Islamabad
Supporting peaceful solution of Afghanistan, Pakistan on Thursday called for an orderly and responsible withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan to avert any security vacuum.
During weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Pakistan has consistently been supportive of the ongoing Afghan peace process.
Pakistan is committed for peace in Afghanistan and prosperity of the Afghan people and we support the Afghan-owned and Afghan-led settlement of the situation.
He also said that Pakistan has consistently maintained that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that dialogue and a political settlement through Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process was the only way forward for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pakistan have played a pivotal role in facilitating the efforts for achieving durable peace and security in Afghanistan including in facilitating the US Taliban peace agreement signed in February 2020.
Pakistan believed that peace and security of Afghanistan indeed has implications for the security of Pakistan.
In fact, after Afghanistan, Pakistan has suffered the most due to the conflict in Afghanistan. Likewise, Pakistan stands to gain from peace in Afghanistan.
Answering another question, the spokesperson said Pakistan wants resolution of all outstanding disputes with India through dialogue of which Kashmir is the core issue.
He said India’s illegal and unilateral acts of August 5, 2019 vitiated the environment and now onus is on India to create enabling environment for meaningful and result-oriented dialogue.
Pakistan has repeatedly underlined that the illegal demographic changes being undertaken in Indian Occupied Kashmir, including the domicile rules are in blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions, the UN Charter and international law including the 4th Geneva Convention.
There is an immediate need to check India’s implementation of an elaborate strategy of military occupation, land confiscation, influx of non-Kashmiris, and creation of alien settlements in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
The international community must use all tools at its disposal to urge India to rescind its illegal and unilateral actions since August 5, 2019 and to end its gross and systematic human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
