Pakistan open to any mechanism to bring about peace in Afghanistan: Ambassador

Pakistan open to any mechanism to bring about peace in Afghanistan: Ambassador
APP05-20 WASHINGTON: June 20 - Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry participating in a dialogue with Afghan Ambassador on "Pakistan & Afghanistan Relations, Diplomacy & Security Challenges" organized by Indus, a Washington DC based think tank in Carnegie Endowment. APP

WASHINGTON, June 20 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to

the United States Aizaz Chaudhry has said Islamabad was open
to any mechanism that could bring peace to Afghanistan.
He said “Pakistan is open to any mechanism that may
work for bringing peace in Afghanistan and the entire
region”.
The Ambassador expressed these views during a candid
discussion arranged by Washington-based think-tank Indus,
also featuring Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United
States, Dr. Hamdullah Mohib.
Ambassador Chaudhry reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong
commitment that it will not allow its soil to be used by
any militant group against any country, including Afghanistan.
“If Afghanistan is stable, Pakistan is the biggest
beneficiary.”
The dialogue between the two ambassadors was arranged by
Indus think-tank during which the two top diplomats discussed
their countries’ common interest and the challenge to their
important bilateral relationship.
The think-tank noted on its website that a strengthened
relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan was of critical
concern to the future of both countries and to their region’s
peace, stability and prosperity.
The issue was also important for American strategic
interest, it said.
The Ambassador emphasized that the tendency to shift
blame on Pakistan for everything by Afghanistan, should
be discouraged.
Ambassador Chaudhry underscored that Pakistan and
Afghanistan need to cooperate with each other in order
to defeat the common enemy – terrorism – for bringing
peace and stability to the region.
Speaking on the occasion, the Afghan Ambassador stated
that the terrorism was not a bilateral issue between Pakistan
and Afghanistan, but a global issue and that all the countries
need to address this menace.
He also admitted that conflict in Afghanistan is far
beyond Pak-Afghanistan region and involves many international
players and forces and requires a comprehensive political
solution for lasting peace.
Later, talking to APP after the discussion, Ambassador
Aizaz Chaudhry stated that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during
a meeting with his Afghan counterpart on the sidelines of SCO
summit in Astana earlier this month, emphasized the same point
that blame-game should end.
The Ambassador said that Pakistan has never accused anyone
without concrete proof. He said whenever cross-border involvement
was found in terrorist incidents in the country, Pakistan
presented proof of that.
Referring to the ongoing operation Radd ul Fasaad, the
Ambassador said that Pakistan itself was taking steps to
improve the law and order and eliminate the menace of
terrorism from its soil.
Responding to a question, Ambassador Chaudhry said that
Pakistan is for an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation
process and, if in that process Pakistan can facilitate, “we
are ready to do that.”
To a question about a media report on a policy review being
conducted by the US State Department on Pakistan, the Ambassador
clarified that any new administration when takes charge, forms
its own policy. “This is a routine review and is not
Pakistan-specific,” he added.
At a recent briefing, a US State Department, Ms Heather
Nauert, also dispelled the impression if the policy review
was Pakistan-specific. She stated that there were plenty of
policy reviews taking place in the State Department.

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