Abdullah meets Qureshi, lauds Pakistan's role in Afghan peace process

ISLAMABAD: Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan, met Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Monday.

During the meeting, he lauded and expressed his gratitude to Pakistani leadership over its role in the Afghan peace process.

FM Qureshi said Pakistan backs a peaceful and durable political solution to the long-running Afghan conflict through an afghan led and afghan owned peace process. Pakistan has been playing the role of a facilitator in the Afghan peace process, he maintained.

He said the US-Taliban peace agreement and later the intra afghan dialogue held in Doha have raised the prospects of durable peace in Afghanistan, adding the Afghan leadership should seize this historic opportunity and undertake serious efforts to take the Afghan peace process to logical conclusion.

He said all stakeholders will also have to keep an eye on spoilers who do not want peace and stability in the region. The international community will have to come forward for the reconstruction and economic stability of Afghanistan, he stressed.

Qureshi said Pakistan desires dignified return of millions of Afghan refugees to their homeland.

In a tweet after the meeting, the foreign minister said: “It was a pleasure to have welcomed @DrabdullahCE to MoFA. The #AfghanPeaceProcess is of paramount importance for both Pakistan and Afghanistan & its success ensures socio-economic prosperity for all. @DrabdullahCE’s visit further strengthens the amity & fraternity between our countries.”

It was a pleasure to have welcomed @DrabdullahCE to MoFA. The #AfghanPeaceProcess is of paramount importance for both 🇵🇰 and 🇦🇫 & its success ensures socio-economic prosperity for all. @DrabdullahCE’s visit further strengthens the amity & fraternity between our countries. pic.twitter.com/4EXhRuuV2W

— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) September 28, 2020