Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says Pakistan supports dialogue and peaceful coexistence while calling for stability, rights and regional connectivity in Afghanistan.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has called for a peaceful and sustainable solution to the situation in Afghanistan, saying Pakistan believes in peace, dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
Addressing an event in Islamabad on Afghanistan’s situation and progress toward peace, Tarar said the issue was highly complex and required a lasting and sustainable solution.
He said Pakistan had sent several high-level delegations to Afghanistan to help address the issue, while talks had also been held in Istanbul and Doha.
Tarar said the Afghan interim government would have to move away from a militant mindset and adopt the approach of a responsible state. He said many of the challenges facing Afghanistan were the result of a militant mentality.
The minister said Afghanistan had significant potential for trade and regional connectivity. Peace in the country, he added, could help open trade routes from Central Asia to Pakistan, while Central Asian states could gain access to warm-water ports through Afghanistan.
Tarar said the presence of safe havens for terrorists and members of banned organizations in Afghanistan remained a matter of concern. He stressed that sustainable peace would require moving beyond a militant mindset.
He also highlighted social and economic challenges facing Afghanistan, saying a large portion of the Afghan population comprised young people, while many Afghan women were not part of the workforce. He said some sections of the population were not being given opportunities to contribute to economic development and that certain groups were being deprived of basic rights.
Tarar said there was a significant gap between the Afghan people and the interim government. He said Afghans deserved basic rights, including access to education, assembly, association and economic freedom, and should have a voice and authority in determining their future.
“Live and let others live” should be adopted as a principle for peaceful coexistence, Tarar said, adding that only peace could serve as the foundation for prosperity.
He said peace in Afghanistan could increase prospects for stability and development across the region, while regional peace could promote trade and strengthen investment. He noted that access to Karachi and Gwadar through trade routes remained a longstanding aspiration of Central Asian states.
Tarar said Pakistan wanted peace but warned that its desire for peace should not be mistaken for weakness. He said attempts to destabilize Pakistan had been responded to and would continue to be addressed.
The minister said the Afghan people deserved a better and prosperous future. He called for consensus in Afghanistan and said the Afghan people should have the right to choose their future.
Tarar reiterated that Pakistan supported negotiations for an acceptable and friendly solution to the Afghanistan issue and said the desire for regional peace and greater trade existed across the region.
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