Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, while attending a conference titled "40 years of Afghan Refugees Presence in Pakistan" said that Pakistan only wants peace in Afghanistan, Dawn news reported.
“Whatever the situation might have been in the past, right now, I can tell you... there is one thing we want: peace in Afghanistan.” Khan said in the conference.
Afghanistan's second vice president Sarwar Danish was also attending the conference and in his speech accused Pakistan of allowing the Taliban to recruit new fighters from Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.
“Terrorist groups in the refugee camps in Pakistan hire fighters and in fact use the refugees and they launch terrorist attacks from their safe havens and continue to spread propoganda against the Afghan government, which results in destabilizing Afghanistan,” said Danish.
Danesh believes Pakistan's role in Afghan peace is "vital." And added that:” Afghanistan is not the same country that it was in 2001 and he does not want to go back to those years.
On the other hand, Khan, in reaction to Danish’s claim, said there are no militant safe havens in Pakistan.
"That may have been true after 9/11. However, Pakistan does not have any militant sanctuaries now,” Khan responded to Danish.
Khan also said that Pakistan cannot “completely guarantee” that no Taliban are hiding among the millions of Afghans living in Pakistan but the government had done all it can to prevent attacks in Afghanistan.
According to Dawn news report, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Afghanistan Second Vice President Sarwar Danish, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as well as other ministers and senior officials from around twenty countries were present on the occasion.
The conference was jointly organized by the Pakistan government and UN High Commissioner for Refugees and was titled 40 years of Afghan Refugees Presence in Pakistan: A New Partnership for Solidarity in Islamabad.
UN Secretary General António Guterres, also speaking at the conference, said that the people of Pakistan have responded with solidarity for 40 years to the Afghan migrants in Pakistan.
"For 40 years, the people of Afghanistan have faced many crises, for 40 years the people of Pakistan have responded with solidarity,” said Guterres.
Guterres also said the United Nations supports the efforts for peace in Afghanistan, and that the Afghans deserve peace.
"The Afghan conflict drags on and on and we see deep impact of the protracted nature of conflict, poverty and forced displacement. We know the solution lies in Afghanistan and I hope the signals of a possible passageway of peace will lead to a better future for the people of Afghanistan.
"I see with us Ambassador Khalilzad and I want to strongly encourage to pursue the way for peace. The Afghan people can count on the United Nations to support the efforts for peace. We don't seek protagonism, we are here only to serve. The Afghan people need and deserve peace and prosperity and full respect of their human rights," Guterres added.
It is estimated that 2.7 million Afghans living in Pakistan.