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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz gave a strong reply to Afghanistan even as he said it is “simplistic” to point fingers at one country for terrorist activities while he blamed India for scuttling the recent SAARC Summit that was scheduled to be held in Islamabad.
“The security situation in Afghanistan is very complex. It is simplistic to blame only one country for the recent upsurge in violence. We need to have an objective and holistic view,” Aziz said at the Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference here on Sunday.
He said Pakistan’s commitment towards bringing peace and stability in war-torn Afghanistan is evident from the fact that he is visiting India despite heightened tensions on the Line of Control.
“My participation in the event, despite escalation on the Line of Control and the Working Boundary with India, is testimony to Pakistan’s unflinching commitment for lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region. I look forward to meaningful deliberations today towards this objective,” he said.
Highlighting the fact that Afghanistan has signed a peace agreement with an insurgent group Hizb-i-Islami, Aziz said the Afghan government should carry out similar pacts with other insurgent groups in the future.
Aziz also underlined the fact that the peace and reconciliatory talks between Afghan Government and Taliban have not yet produced positive results under the framework of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG).
“Pakistan has been making serious efforts for facilitating the peace talks through the QCG. We believe that all members of the QCG should continue their respective efforts for talks between Afghan Government and Taliban. In our view, there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict and all our efforts should be to achieve a politically negotiated settlement through an Afghan-led Afghan-owned process,” the octogenarian said.
Aziz was replying to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s comments that terrorism emanating from Pakistan and the sanctuaries based in that country continue to destabilize the region.
He also said Pakistan will continue to enhance facilitation for transit of Afghan goods through their country by extending the scope of Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA).
Highlighting the need for greater regional cooperation to improve relations within countries, Aziz said it is critical to maintain South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as an important platform. He also blamed India’s stance to scuttle the last SAARC Summit, which was scheduled to take place in Islamabad in November.
“The postponement of the SAARC Summit scheduled in Islamabad in November 2016 was a setback to these efforts and undermined the spirit of regional cooperation,” he added.
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