Pakistan paid highest price for instability in Afghanistan says PM

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27th Sep, 2020. 11:52 am
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Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan has paid the highest price for instability in Afghanistan.

In his article in Washington Post, Imran Khan wrote

“With the exception of the resilient Afghans themselves, no people have paid a higher price for the conflict in Afghanistan than the people of Pakistan.”

“Through decades of conflict, Pakistan has dealt with the responsibility of taking care of more than 4 million Afghan refugees. Guns and drugs have also flowed into our country. “

The Prime Minister added that “The wars have disrupted our economic trajectory and radicalized fringes of our own society. The Pakistan I had known growing up in the 1960s and 1970s changed in some deeply unsettling ways.”

No External Force

About the lasting peace in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister is of the view that it cannot be imposed through external force.

He wrote, ” This experience taught us two important lessons. First, that we were too closely intertwined with Afghanistan by geography, culture, and kinship for events in that country not to cast a shadow on Pakistan. We realized Pakistan will not know real peace until our Afghan brothers and sisters are at peace.:

“We also learned that peace and political stability in Afghanistan could not be imposed from the outside through the use of force. Only an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process, which recognizes Afghanistan’s political realities and diversity, could produce lasting peace.”

US asks Pakistan Support

The Prime Minister of Pakistan wrote that when US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to us in 2018 for stability in Afghanistan, we assured him of our full support.

Imran Khan said,

“So, when President Trump wrote to me in late 2018 to ask for Pakistan’s assistance in helping the United States achieve a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan, we had no hesitation in assuring the president that Pakistan would make every effort to facilitate such an outcome — and we did. Thus began arduous rounds of talks between the United States and the Taliban, which culminated in the February U.S.-Taliban peace agreement. This agreement, in turn, has laid the groundwork for talks between the Afghan leadership and the Taliban.”

The path we have traveled to get here wasn’t easy, but we were able to press on thanks to the courage and flexibility that were on display from all sides. The United States and its allies facilitated the prisoner exchange between Kabul and the Taliban. The government of Afghanistan and the Taliban responded to the Afghan people’s yearning for peace.

PM’s Reassurance

Imran Khan said that Pakistan will continue to support all the stakeholders who are willing to put their efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Imran Khan wrote:

Pakistan will continue to support the Afghan people in their quest for a unified, independent and sovereign Afghanistan that is at peace with itself and its neighbors. Pakistan believes that peace negotiations should not be conducted under coercion and urges all parties to reduce violence. Just as the Afghan government has recognized the Taliban as a political reality, it is hoped that the Taliban would recognize the progress Afghanistan has made.

Multilateral collaboration

Imran Khan expressed his determination of Multilateral collaboration among the nations for the development and prosperity of Pakistan.

He wrote:

My vision for Pakistan prioritizes development and prosperity for my country and our region through connectivity and economic diplomacy. Our recent investments in key economic connectivity projects can be harnessed to complement efforts for regional integration between South and Central Asia. Our initial discussions with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation on these issues have been encouraging. It is heartening that the United States and Pakistan are of one mind on the importance of a “peace dividend” for ensuring sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

For Pakistan, regional peace and stability remain key to realizing the collective aspirations of our people for a better future. We are committed to multilateral collaboration to achieve this.

Sanctuary for International Terrorism

Prime Minister said Pakistan does not want to see Afghanistan become a sanctuary for international terrorism.

He wrote:

Like the United States, Pakistan does not want to see Afghanistan become a sanctuary for international terrorism ever again. Since 9/11, more than 80,000 Pakistani security personnel and civilians have laid down their lives in perhaps the largest and most successful fight against terrorism. But Pakistan continues to be the target of attacks launched by externally enabled terrorist groups based in Afghanistan.

Pakistan paid highest price for instability in Afghanistan says PM

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