Qureshi hopes Pak-US ties to soon be back on track

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday hoped that relations between Pakistan and the United States (US) will soon be back on track and added that American President Donald Trump hailed the role of Islamabad in Afghan peace process and sought support for the settlement in Afghanistan.

Talking to journalists in Islamabad, Shah Mehmood Qureshi the US had for the first time agreed with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stance that there could not be a military solution to the Afghanistan issue.

He said that all the stakeholders will have to come on the table for durable peace in Afghanistan and added that the world should treat with Taliban as Afghan citizens. The foreign minister said that US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad had visited Pakistan and hoped that the visit will soon bear fruit.

The foreign minister maintained that Pakistan is committed to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process in Afghanistan and will continue to play a positive role in bringing peace and stability in the neighboring country.

He also expressed concerns over putting head money in India for beheading Najvot Sidhu, who played important role in the opening of Kartarpur Corridor.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Pakistan took the decision to facilitate Sikh pilgrims to visit one of their holiest places and added that the goodwill gesture of Islamabad has been appreciated in the whole world.