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Today's Paper | November 05, 2024

Updated 11 May, 2017 12:51pm

No country better suited to help Afghan peace process than Pakistan: envoy

Days after Afghanistan's cross-border attack in Chaman, the Afghan envoy to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal said there is no country better suited to help the peace process in Afghanistan than Pakistan.

The remarks were made while the envoy addressed an international conference about peace in Afghanistan on Thursday.

Zakhilwal raised questions about the effectiveness of ongoing efforts for peace in the region, saying that although there are a number of processes in place for keeping peace, "there is a question mark on how effective these measures are."

The Afghan envoy held Pakistan responsible for the Taliban's return to Pakistan, saying, "The Taliban could not have returned to Afghanistan without help from within Pakistan."

"Taliban have the hidden support of some countries, while there are also questions about the peace keeping efforts from Russia," he added.

The envoy maintained that peace would prevail in Afghanistan if Pakistan and India joined hands to resolve the issue, and lauded Islamabad and New Delhi for their efforts in trying to keep the peace in 2002.

"We should understand what peace is before talking about it," Zakhilwal asserted.

He added that "help from Iran and Saudi Arabia will go a long way."

The envoy also touched upon the hospitality of the Afghan nation, saying, "There is no nation as generous as us, and questions should not be raised about our motives."

Talking about the new terror threats that the region faces, Zakhilwal reminded conference attendees that Daesh, a rising threat in the region, is currently engaged in an ongoing tussle with the Afghan Taliban for regional dominance.

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