ISLAMABAD: The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that Pakistan has always upheld that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.
The comments came while he discussed the Taliban’s recent statement in response to the US President’s remarks regarding delaying the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In February 2020, the United States under the leadership of Donald Trump and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in which the US agreed to withdraw all American and NATO troops from Afghanistan in lieu of an assurance by the Taliban to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in areas under Taliban control and talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
The United States agreed to an initial reduction of its force level from 13,000 to 8,600 by July 2020, followed by a full withdrawal within 14 months if the Taliban keep their commitments. But with the continuing violence in Afghanistan and the change of leadership in Washington, the withdrawal of US troops has become a contentious issue between the two parties.
During his comments on the issue, the spokesperson stated that Pakistan has supported an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive dialogue among the Afghan parties to resolve their differences. “Pakistan believes that the Doha process provides a historic opportunity to achieve such a lasting political solution,” he added.
The comments further reaffirmed Pakistan’s policy of supporting Afghans to determine their future and the fact that Pakistan will accept any agreement reached mutually among the Afghan parties. “We do also believe that the withdrawal of troops should be orderly and responsible so as not to create a vacuum,” Mr Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said.
