Pakistan facilitating efforts for peaceful solution in Afghanistan: FO

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Faisal on Thursday said, “Pakistan is facilitating efforts for a peaceful solution in Afghanistan.”

In a statement on Twitter, the spokesperson stressed that Pakistan believes that an intra-Afghan dialogue is the only way to a successful negotiated settlement.”

#Pakistan is facilitating efforts for a peaceful solution in #Afghanistan.
We believe that an intra-Afghan dialogue is the only way to a successful negotiated settlement.#afghanpeacetalks@mfa_afghanistan

— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 10, 2019

It is worth mentioning that during an interview to BBC a day earlier, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s special envoy, Mohammad Omar Daudzai said that Pakistan was playing a positive role in the Afghan peace talks.

Daudzai said Pakistan’s government and country’s institutions were on the same page, which would provide a suitable environment for holding talks on key issues. Daudzai is currently in Islamabad on an official visit.

“I don’t want to get into the past, but in the present, there is much evidence that Pakistan is playing a positive role in Afghan peace talks,” said Daudzai. He said Pakistan’s attitude towards Afghanistan has also changed.

When asked why the Taliban do not want to hold talks with the Afghan government, Daudzai said it was a longstanding desire of the Taliban to first negotiate with the US and later with the Afghan government.

According to the Afghan envoy, no final talks have taken place between the US and Taliban thus far, which is why they are refusing to hold a meeting with the Afghan government.

He expressed hope that Afghan Taliban would soon sit with the Afghan government and hold talks.