Govt won’t allow Afghan fallout to affect Pakistan, says Fawad

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan had a keen eye on the fast changing situation in Afghanistan, and if the situation worsened, its effects would not be allowed to come inside Pakistan, said Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Monday.

The minister, in a tweet, said every effort was being made to move forward through a peaceful and all-encompassing system of government in Kabul, adding: “But even if it does not happen, its effects will not be allowed to come inside Pakistan and our Afghan policy is in Pakistan’s interest.”

Hussain said Prime Minister Imran Khan had stated in unequivocal terms Pakistan would be part of the peace efforts, but not war. The minister said Pakistan’s land was not being used against Afghanistan and hopefully, he added, Afghanistan’s land would also not be used against Pakistan. He said the country’s political and parliamentary leadership had consensus on the principle of non-interference.

The statement from the federal minister came amid a worsening situation in the war-torn country, with the national leadership calling on world powers to settle the issue through dialogue.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has demanded a joint session of Parliament to be convened on Afghanistan’s situation and its possible fallout on Pakistan. PPP leader Nayyar Bukhari said on Monday all stakeholders had to play their role on the Afghanistan issue because stability in the region was not possible without peace in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Afghan Taliban Suhail Shaheen said Pakistan was welcome to help the Taliban arrive at a negotiated settlement in Afghanistan, but it “cannot dictate to us or impose its views on us”. Shaheen’s remarks came during an interview with Geo News on programme “Jirga” late Sunday night.

When asked how he views the Afghan Taliban’s relations with Pakistan to be, especially in the context of reports that the Taliban were not willing to listen to Pakistan, the spokesperson said: “We want brotherly relations. They are neighbours, a Muslim country, and we have shared values — historical, religious and cultural.”

“They can help us in the peace process but can’t dictate to us or impose their views. And this is against international principles,” he added.