By Our Diplomatic
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Hezb-e-Islami lead Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, along with his delegation, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday. During the meeting, matters related to the Afghan peace process and Pak-Afghan fraternal relations were discussed.
Premier Imran Khan and visiting Afghan dignitary discussed the prevailing security and geo-political situation Pakistan and expressed satisfaction of the ongoing peace process. They agreed on keeping up the pace of peace process and expressed the hope that Afganistan will soon have a completely secured environment and will started marching on development and will start contributing to regional peace and economy
A day earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, during a meeting with the Hezb-e-Islami leader, said that the talks provide a chance to create a long-lasting peace in the area.
“Intra-Afghan talks provide a unique opportunity to the leadership for establishing lasting peace in the country,” the foreign minister said at the Foreign Office (FO).
“Prime Minister Imran Khan has said lasting peace can only be achieved through a political settlement accepted by the people of Afghanistan,” Qureshi said, adding that Pakistan would continue to play its part in facilitating the peace process. Hekmatyar is currently on a three-day visit to Pakistan. According to a statement issued by the FO, the Afghan leader discussed bilateral relations and the role of Pakistan in the peace process with the foreign minister.
His visit was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) through a tweet on Sunday.
“The visit of Gulbud¬din Hekmatyar will provide an opportunity for [an] exchange of views on the Afghan peace process and strengthening of Pakistan-Afghan¬istan bilateral relations as well as people-to-people interaction,” the FO said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Furthermore, Hekmatyar will speak at a policy think tank during his visit. Hekmatyar served two terms as the prime minister of Afghanistan, the FO believes this speaking event will be a good chance to improve relations between the two countries, as well as discuss views regarding the Afghan peace process. The FO said that Pakistan attached great importance to its fraternal relations with Afghanistan rooted deep in shared history, faith, culture, values and traditions. “Pakistan fully supports all efforts for peace, stability and prosperity of the Afghan people,” it added.
The visit comes nearly three weeks after the official trip of High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) chairman Abdullah Abdullah Afghanistan’s top envoy for the ongoing negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban as Pakistan is engaged with all Afghan stakeholders for the sake of the peace process. Hekmatyar’s son described the visit as “very important” because of Islamabad’s “key” role in the peace process.
“As Pakistan’s role is a key to the peace process, so we want to have a better understanding with Pakistan,” he said. “We will discuss the difficulties in the peace process and how to remove the obstacles, and how to make the peace process successful.”
Last month, Hekmatyar had expressed his willingness to form an alliance with the Taliban in war-torn Afghanistan.
“Hezb-e-Islami is ready for direct talks with the Taliban, as well as for partnership and cooperation. We believe that if these two groups join hands, the crisis in Afghanistan will end soon and no force will be able to stand against it,” he had said.
“When the first round of talks between Kabul [the Afghan government] and the Taliban is completed, we are ready for the Hezb-e-Islami and the Taliban to start talks. The decision now rests with the Taliban.”
