Imran’s categorical reply to Ghani: Blaming Pakistan unfair, says PM Imran Khan

TASHKENT: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday asked Afghanistan to consider Pakistan as a “partner of peace” rather than blaming it for the ongoing unrest, which he said was the “outcome of using a military solution by the United States instead of a political one”.

“Blaming Pakistan for what is going on in Afghanistan is extremely unfair. Peace in Afghanistan is our foremost priority,” the prime minister said, in response to the speech of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the conference on “Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity, Challenges and Opportunities” held at Congress Centre.

Rejecting the assertions of President Ghani made against Pakistan for “not supporting peace”, the prime minister categorically stated that Pakistan did not want turmoil in its neighbourhood because peace was in its own interest.

“Mr Ghani, I want to make it clear to you that Pakistan will be the last country to think about supporting turmoil and unrest in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that Pakistan offered most sacrifices for peace.

The prime minister said Pakistan would continue to support reconciliation in Afghanistan, and urged the Afghan stakeholders and the international community to gear up efforts for a politically-negotiated settlement. He mentioned that due to decades-long conflict in Afghanistan, Pakistan suffered heavily in terms of its 70,000 casualties besides facing huge economic instability. As Pakistan’s economy was recovering following a difficult phase, he said, the country wanted peace in its neighbourhood to ensure the completion of development projects for the betterment of the entire region.

Imran Khan said Pakistan had made every effort for peace in Afghanistan, including bringing the Taliban to the dialogue table. However, he said, the right time to engage Taliban in negotiations was way before the pullout of the US troops from Afghanistan.

“Why would the Taliban listen to Pakistan at a time when they are gaining victory after the withdrawal of troops,” he pointed out, adding that the US always insisted on a military solution to the Afghan conflict.

He said there is no infiltration from Pakistan, rather it is the other way round.

He said Pakistan was already hosting over three million Afghan refugees and did not have the capacity to bear another influx of refugees in the wake of further turmoil. The prime minister said in his yesterday’s meeting with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, he discussed ways how the neighbouring countries of Central Asia could support peace and stability in Afghanistan for the region’s prosperity. Imran Khan said another challenge to regional development was the unsettled disputes in South Asia, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The unsettled disputes between Pakistan and India remain a challenge with Kashmir as the main issue,” he said, adding that unfortunately, because of such a situation, the huge potential of regional development remained untapped.

The conference gathered President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, the foreign ministers and high representatives of the countries of Central and South Asia, and the heads of international and regional organisations and global financial institutions.

Earlier, Ashraf Ghani said Pakistan has not severed its relationship with terror groups. Ghani alleged that more than 10,000 ‘jihadi’ fighters have entered Afghanistan in the last month, according to intelligence reports, while the Pakistan government had failed to convince the Taliban to participate “seriously” in the peace talks.

The prime minister later met Ghani on the sidelines of the conference. According to the state-run radio, Imran Khan and the Afghan president led their respective sides in delegation-level talks.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan called upon the European Union and international community to support Pakistan in the rehabilitation of Afghan refugees.

The prime minister stated this in a meeting with Josep Borrell, European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, on the sidelines of Tashkent conference.

The prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s vital contributions to the Afghan peace process and intra-Afghan negotiations.

He stressed that the conflict could only be settled through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process leading to a comprehensive negotiated political settlement.

The prime minister emphasized the importance of continued engagement of international community following the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan to facilitate lasting peace. He expressed concern over the worsening situation in Afghanistan and its negative impact on the security situation of Pakistan.