Pakistan played vital role in US-Taliban talks, says Qureshi

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday termed the recent negotiations between the United States and the Afghan Taliban as a "major diplomatic victory" and said Pakistan played a vital role in bringing the Taliban leadership to the table.

Speaking to the media in Multan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said any decision about the future of Afghanistan will be made by its people. He said Pakistan is concerned about peace in the region, not money. “We had decided to move forward with peace. The world has accepted Pakistan’s stance on the peace process,” he said.

The minister said peace in the region is not possible without dialogue. “Pakistan has pursued a regional outlook by reaching out to different countries and advocating its resolve for a stable and peaceful region,” he said.

Shah Mehmood said Pakistan had never intended to meddle in internal affairs of Afghanistan. He said Pakistan would succeed in re-setting its relations with America. Responding to a question about the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Qureshi said, “The PAC chairman should be from the opposition, however, the attitude of the opposition has hindered the proceedings of the National Assembly.”

He added that the opposition has the right to express their point of view but they can do so without creating a hullabaloo. “Imran Khan’s government is not here to do bargaining. We have never bargained over Pakistan’s interest in the past, nor will we do in the future,” Qureshi said.

The minister informed that he will be visiting Oman on Tuesday to discuss bilateral and regional cooperation with the leadership of the country. He will next embark on a visit to London on February 3 to raise the Kashmir issue in the House of Commons and present Pakistan’s stance on India’s continued atrocities in the valley.