Addressing the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan on Wednesday, Adviser to the Pakistan prime minister, Sartaj Aziz, pledged $500 million USD to Afghanistan.
He said this was for economic development projects in the country.
According to the Pakistani government, this is in addition to a $500 million USD existing package under which projects in infrastructure, education and health are nearing completion.
Aziz also announced that Pakistan has provided 3,000 scholarships to Afghan students for higher education in Pakistan and after completion of this program Pakistan will provide another 3,000 scholarships in the fields of medicine, engineering, banking and other fields to help Afghanistan's institution building.
The Brussels Conference is being held as a sequel to the Tokyo Conference that took place in 2012 for affirming international community's engagement with Afghanistan through economic and financial assistance for Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Aziz emphasized that a politically negotiated settlement was the most viable option for bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan.
He welcomed the peace deal signed between the Afghan government and Hizb-e-Islami, assuring Pakistan's continued efforts for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG).
He said their message to the Taliban remained the same - to shun violence and join the peace process.
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