Pakistan on Sunday reiterated its “firm commitment” for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and said it is concerned about “some negative comments, which continue to emanate from certain official as well as unofficial Afghan circles.”
“We would continue to emphasize the mutually agreed fundamental principle that all bilateral issues including security and intelligence matters should be addressed through relevant bilateral forums and channels,” Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
Appropriate institutional forums are in place for such discourse in the relevant Working Groups of APPAPS, the statement said, adding that, in addition, during the visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan to Kabul in November 2020 the two sides also agreed on further strengthening their contacts on matters related to security and peace process.
“We wish to highlight that public blame game is detrimental to the Afghan peace process as well as to our shared efforts for enhancing bilateral cooperation,” the ministry said.
“Pakistan has continued to emphasize that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict and solution of the conflict through a political process is the only way forward,” the statement says.
"Towards this end, Pakistan has been engaged in serious efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process. During the current year, our long-held position was vindicated and Pakistan’s serious efforts facilitated important breakthroughs in the peace process, including: (a) U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement of 29 February; (b) commencement of Intra-Afghan Negotiations on 12 September; and (c) agreement among Afghan parties on the Rules and Procedures on 2 December 2020," the statement said.
The statement added that as the negotiations enter an "important and critical phase from 5 January 2021, the negotiators will be focusing on the substantive issues relating to a comprehensive future political settlement."
“In this delicate phase of the Intra-Afghan Negotiations, it is important for the negotiating parties to avoid accusations and to demonstrate wisdom, sagacity and vision for the larger objective of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” the statement said.
The statement added that Pakistan has also continued to express its " deep concern at the increasing level of violence in Afghanistan during the current year."
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the Afghan government “to take proactive measures to fulfill its responsibility for internal security, law and order and protection of Afghan lives.”
The statement said that Pakistan "stands ready to extend all possible cooperation in the area of security and effective border management through effective institutional collaboration."
According to the statement, recently "the two countries have witnessed positive trajectory in bilateral relations with significant progress on important bilateral matters including revision of APTTA and commencement of negotiations on PTA."
This comes as First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in a tweet on Dec. 24 indirectly blamed Pakistan for hosting the Taliban leadership and treatment of their wounded.
Saleh said: The Taliban deputy leader “Mullah (Abdul Ghani) Baradar did three things in Karachi: He visited the wounded Talib terrorists at a government hospital who are there without any visa, went to a training facility to inspire the terror cadets and thanked the government of Pakistan for generous support to the Talibs to this point.”
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Pakistan desires and continues to support a peaceful, stable, united, independent, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan, adding that it is important that Afghans should seize this historic opportunity for reaching an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement to bring an end to the decades-long internal conflict in Afghanistan.