Pakistan looks forward to a peaceful neighbour: President Alvi

President Dr Arif Alvi said on Tuesday that Pakistan will be the biggest winner after Afghanistan as peace returns to the country, reiterating that Islamabad looks forward to a peaceful neighbour.

In an exclusive interview with Turkish news channel TRT World, the president said the most important factor is that there are no big reports of violence.

“The Afghan people probably welcomed the Taliban coming in,” he said hoping the things will settle down fast and a peaceful government will be formed.

The president said it had become fashion to blame Pakistan for happenings in Afghanistan.

“This blame game should go away now. The swift collapse in Afghanistan has proved that it is far beyond what role the other countries can play,” he added.

President Arif Alvi said Pakistan being a neighboring country hosted four million Afghan refugees. He said it was a matter of goodwill between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Responding to a question, the president said India has used the Afghan soil to perpetrate terrorism in Pakistan. He mentioned the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav and the recent bombing in Lahore saying India has played the role of a spoiler.

Urging India not to use any territory against Pakistan, he said we expect that the Afghan soil will no longer be used against us.

“Both Pakistan and Turkey have identical views on a number of issues and they are on the same page regarding the Afghan situation,” he maintained.

He said we have centuries old relationship with Turkey. He said this is a very strong relationship.

Discussing the potential of cooperation in diverse sectors, the president said there are great opportunities for Turkish investors in Pakistan in the areas of halal meat, agriculture, minerals etc.

When asked about relations with India, the president said Pakistan wants peace. He however voiced concerns over the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir saying Modi government wants to change the demography of the disputed territory.

“We continue to apprise the world community about the Indian atrocities in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he said stressing that the Modi government is also sowing seeds of discord within India with controversial steps including the new citizenship law.