Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, during a meeting with his Afghan and Chinese counterparts Salahuddin Rabbani and Wang Yi on Saturday, reiterated Pakistan's stance that peace in Afghanistan can only be achieved through dialogue.
The foreign minister is in Kabul on a day-long official trip to attend the second round of the trilateral ministerial dialogue between Pakistan, Afghanistan and China. He is heading a Pakistani delegation that also includes Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and other high-ranking officials of the Foreign Office.
"Since the beginning [of the Afghan conflict], Pakistan has advocated for dialogue instead of military action to achieve peace. Today the world is agreeing with our stance," the foreign minister said during the meeting, adding that as a neighbour, Pakistan had "suffered most due to the Afghan situation".
The dialogue aims to pave way for a solution to the Afghan crisis through political means since peace in Afghanistan is vital for regional growth and development, he said.
In order to defeat terrorism, Qureshi said, there is a need for increased cooperation and intelligence exchange between the neighbours.
"A bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan is of extreme importance to our government," he said.
Furthermore, the trio of delegations discussed the importance of China and Pakistan's "technical assistance in different sectors" for Afghanistan's progress. Qureshi said that "mega projects" like the construction of a motorway connecting Peshawar and Kabul and a railway network between Quetta and Kandahar can strengthen trade relations between the three countries.
The foreign minister insisted that cooperation between Pakistan, Afghanistan and China was vital for a "prosperous, stable and peaceful future of the region".