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Press Release by Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman

 

Foreign Secretary's Press Briefing, 19 August 1999

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AFGHANISTAN
I would now like to come to our Afghanistan policy which ever since has been very clear. We seek peace in that country through negotiations and dialogue. It is for this Afghan people themselves to decide which and what type of government they want to have. Governments cannot be imposed from outside. Government cannot be parachuted. Afghanistan, I think, has demonstrated this reality on several occasions. We can only play a facilitating role and are continuing our efforts to bring the Afghan parties to the negotiating table within the framework of the Six Plus Two, Tashkent Declaration, and the Deceleration of this Group, adopted in New York in last September.

At the Prime Minister's initiative, a team of our officials met representatives of the Afghan opposition in Dushanbe on 18 August and would visit Kandahar within a few days for similar contacts with the Afghan authorities. This is a part of our traditional role of seeking to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue for bringing an end to the fratricidal bloodshed in that country.

unfortunately, self-serving and judgmental pronouncements by the international community have stood in the way of an objective assessment of Afghanistan issue while outside interference has stoked the conflict. Those who have provided weapons, ammunition, logistic support and military training to the Afghan opposition have wrongly accused Pakistan of providing similar assistance to the Taliban. These are totally malicious and baseless allegations. In contrast, an entire trainload of weapons for the Northern Alliance ws confiscated last October which should suffice as proof, if any were needed, to demonstrate from where and to whom massive quantities of weapons were being sent. Our persistent calls for a comprehensive arms embargo against Afghanistan have, therefore, always been ignored.

I wish to take this opportunity to categorically  reject the allegations of Pakistan's involvement in the fighting in Afghanistan. these are nothing but a distorted figment of the imagination of those who want the conflict in Afghanistan to continue for their own ulterior motives. If any private individual has managed to cross the border and join the ranks of the combatants, the Government of Pakistan cannot be held responsible as we do not want to see continued fighting in Afghanistan. Our desire for peace there is well-Known as, obviously, we want peace on all our borders.

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