Afghans, Pakistanis suffered so much: Time to honour pledges, says PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD/QUETTA: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday welcomed the announcement of the commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations and said Pakistan had played a pivotal role in facilitating the peace process to this juncture.

In a statement, he said, “I warmly welcome the announcement regarding commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations on 12 September 2020. Finally, our combined efforts have brought forth the day that the Afghan people have been yearning for.

“For more than 40 years, Afghans have suffered from continued conflict and bloodshed. Pakistan has endured the fallout – reflected in incidence of terrorism, loss of precious lives, and huge economic cost,” he maintained.

Imran emphasized that he had underlined for a long time that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that the only way forward was a negotiated political settlement.

“Through relentless efforts, Pakistan has played a pivotal role in facilitating the Afghan peace process to this juncture. We feel deeply gratified today, as we have fulfilled our part of the responsibility,” he said.

“It is now for the Afghan leaders to seize this historic opportunity, work together constructively, and secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement,” he contended.

Successful culmination of an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, he said, was indispensable for Afghanistan and for regional peace, stability and prosperity.

The prime minister said, “We hope all sides will honour their respective commitments, persevere in the face of all challenges, and remain unflinchingly committed to achieving the desired outcome”.

For its part, he emphasized that Pakistan would continue to remain in full support and solidarity with the Afghan people, as they march forward in this consequential journey for peace and development.

Agencies: Meanwhile, Prime Minister's Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq Friday welcomed the start of intra-Afghan talks in Doha and assured strong support to the process.

In a tweet, he expressed hope that the talks would pave way for peace in Afghanistan. "We hope these negotiations would lead to sustainable peace in Afghanistan, which would bring prosperity to the country," he said.

Meanwhile, the Afghan government negotiators left for Doha on Friday to begin peace talks with the Taliban. Negotiations set to begin on Saturday (today) were originally slated to start in March but were repeatedly pushed back amid disputes over a prisoner exchange that included the release of hundreds of battle-hardened Taliban fighters.

"After continuous efforts of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to start direct talks with the Taliban, the peace negotiating team of the IRA left Kabul for Doha," Nader Naderi, a member of the negotiating team, said on Twitter minutes before their plane took off.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be attending the opening session of what he said was a "historic" opportunity to end America´s longest war.

"I´m mindful of how difficult these conversations will be among the Afghans but it´s theirs for the taking," he told reporters onboard his flight to Doha.

Abdul Hafiz Mansour, a member of Kabul´s delegation, said his message to the Taliban would be that they "cannot succeed by force". "The time is ready for reconciliation now, we can resolve our problems by talking to each other," Mansour said.

The Afghan government and the Taliban will this weekend begin talks to end nearly two decades of war, though few expect a peace deal any time soon. The two sides will meet in the Qatari capital Doha from Saturday, six months later than planned owing to bitter disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap.

The US-backed talks mark a major milestone in Afghanistan´s 19-year conflict, but a peaceful outcome -- or even a ceasefire -- is far from guaranteed as negotiators grapple with wildly divergent goals.

Any deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban will depend on both sides´ willingness to tailor their competing visions for the country and the extent to which they can share power.

The Taliban, who have refused to recognise President Ashraf Ghani´s government, will push to reshape Afghanistan into an Islamic "emirate". Ghani´s administration will seek to maintain the Western-backed status quo of a constitutional republic that has enshrined many rights including greater freedoms for women.

Earlier, the host country Qatar's foreign ministry in a statement announced commencement of peace negotiations, terming it a "step forward in bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan". Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said all resources would be utilised for the development and prosperity of every region, especially South Balochistan, and that Planning Minister Asad Umar would visit the province soon in this regard.

The PTI-led government's "top priority" is welfare and development of the underprivileged classes, he said shortly before departing for Islamabad after a brief visit to Balochistan on Friday.

"Asad Umar will hold consultations on a special package for the development of South Balochistan," he said. Asad explained that a coordination committee had been formed for Balochistan's development and prosperity.

"All relevant stakeholders are represented in the coordinating committee," Umar said. Earlier, on his visit to Quetta, the premier reviewed the development projects being carried out in the province and held talks with members of Balochistan Cabinet.

The meeting was attended by Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal, federal ministers Asad Umar and Shibli Faraz, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairperson Lt Gen Nadeem Afzal.

"Unfortunately, promises were made to Balochistan in the past but could not be fulfilled," the premier said. "For Balochistan, our government has allocated the most funds in the PSDP," he added, referring to the Public Sector Development Programme.

He said Balochistan had immense development potential and opportunities in terms of area and underscored that development priorities need to be set in the province. "The Kachhi Canal can open up immense potential for agricultural development," he added.

In a remark on the coronavirus pandemic, PM Imran said there "has been improvement in the situation [...] but we need to be much more careful". Earlier in the day, after CM Kamal received the prime minister, the two had held a separate meeting where the former briefed the latter on the security situation across Balochistan.

The spokesperson for the government of Balochistan, Liaquat Shahwani, said Kamal briefed the PM on development projects, institutionalised mechanism, accountability process, and welfare budget model.

Shahwani said Balochistan CM thanked the premier for an increased share in the PSDP. The provincial cabinet emphasised to PM Imran on the immediate need of Quetta-Karachi dual carriageway, dams, water reservoirs, Kachi Canal, road infrastructure, and energy projects in Balochistan.