Peace, stability in Afghanistan indispensable: Qureshi

Islamabad: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Friday Peace and stability in Afghanistan is indispensable and very important for Pakistan.

Addressing a webinar through video link in Islamabad on Friday, he said Afghanistan is not just the neighbor of Pakistan but we have historic relations based on faith and culture.

The Foreign Minister said for more than four decades, the Afghan people have been deeply affected by instability and the ongoing conflict in their country.

He said Pakistan has been hardest hit by the effects of this conflict.

The Foreign Minister said the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan offers hopes and optimism that the decades-long conflict will end. It also offers new prospects for lasting peace, economic development and regional connectivity. He said the positive momentum of the inter-Afghan dialogue must be maintained and this historic opportunity must not be missed.

He said the peace process must be protected from the elements that are trying to disrupt it.

In this regard, Shah Mahmood Qureshi underlined that world community should urge all parties to agree on ways to reduce violence that could lead to a ceasefire.

Appreciating the role of SCO in Afghan peace process, he urged the world community to prepare a roadmap for post-conflict reconstruction and economic development in Afghanistan, including a timetable for the return of Afghan refugees.