Pakistan to support Afghan peace process, says FM
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, June 30, IRNA -- Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Tuesday his country would extend full support to Afghan-led initiatives to restore peace in the war-torn Afghanistan.
Statement from the Pakistani Foreign Minister came just days after reports that President Hamid Karzai has held talks with a militant group led by son of Taliban leader Jalal-ud-Din Haqqani in the presence of Pakistan ’s intelligence chief.
Afghan government and Pakistan army spokesman denied any meeting held between President Karzai and Siraj-ud-Din Haqqani, who leads Haqqani network in Afghanistan ’s three provinces – Khost, Paktiya and Paktika.
Qureshi said Pakistan is ready to help in the Afghan peace process if asked by the Afghan government.
Talking to reporters in Multan , he said that Afghan President Hamid Karzai had given a road map at the London Conference for reconciliation and re-integration to restore peace in Afghanistan and the international community had supported it.
He recalled that a Peace Jirga was convened on June 3-4 last which had endorsed a set of 16 recommendations and authorized Afghan President to move ahead with the process of reconciliation and re-integration.
Pakistan would support every initiative for peace in Afghanistan that is Afghan-led and would extend help and facilitate them if they sought our help, Qureshi added.
To a question regarding reports of talks between Haqqani group and Afghanistan and the role of Pakistan, the foreign minister said that Pakistan government, Pakistan army and the Afghanistan government have already contradicted the report that was aired only by Al-Jazeera.
**1424
End News / IRNA / News Code 1203679
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