Expressing hope for greater cooperation with the United States, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has urged President Joe Biden to continue with the ongoing peace process and troops withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to Aljazeera, Qureshi said they should understand that there is an opportunity in Afghanistan and they should continue with what was initiated and not reverse the process.

He stressed the new US administration to “push them forward as they are moving in the right direction after a long time.”
Qureshi favoured direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban going on in Qatar capital Doha, though the progress is slow.

Former President Donald Trump agreed with the Taliban in February last to withdraw US troops till April 2021. But, the Pentagon recently hinted that it could delay withdrawal as violence accelerated in Afghanistan recently. There are 2,500 US troops still stationed in Afghanistan.

Pakistan facilitated the intra-Afghan talks and the US-Taliban dialogue and now calling on the US to abide by the agreements.

There has been an increase in violence in recent weeks, and the Afghan government blamed the Taliban for a surge in targeted attacks and bombings.

Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed concern over increase in violence and feared that it could harm the peace process.

He said Pakistan labored hard to create an environment to launch the peace process.

He blamed “spoilers from within and beyond border for the violence.”

The spoilers from within have benefited from the war economy, and the elements from outside do not share our vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, he added

Qureshi called on the Afghan leadership to act responsibly as “it’s their country, it’s their future.”

The story was filed by the News Desk. The Desk can be reached at info@thecorrespondent.com.pk.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here