India breaching responsibility by not acceding to Pak’s request to brief UNSC on Afghan issue: FM

Islamabad): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Monday said that India, as president of United Nations Security Council (UNSC), did not act objectively and by refusing Pakistan’s request to brief a session on Afghan issue, it had breached its obligations.

The foreign minister said after India resumed office of the UNSC president for the month of August, they reminded it to act objectively but unfortunately, it behaved in the manner not befitting the responsibility of the office.

“By not acceding to Pakistan’s request, India, in our view, has breached the obligations as president of the UNSC,” he said while addressing a press conference here..

Foreign Minister said that in their view, Pakistan should have been invited to United Nations Security Council’s briefing on Afghanistan, because Pakistan was not only an immediate neighbour of Afghanistan, but also it had suffered the most after Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has been the biggest stakeholder in the peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he added.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan had been facilitating the peace process and its role had always been and continue to be that of ‘a facilitator and not as guarantor’.

“We only facilitate the peace process. It is only for Afghans to decide their future,” he reiterated.

Qureshi regretted that allegations were being leveled against Pakistan for the failure of Afghan peace process.

The foreign minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan had been consistently saying that there was no military solution to the Afghan issue.

He stressed that a well negotiated, all inclusive and broad-based political settlement was the only way forward to establish peace in Afghanistan. There was convergence at the international level.

Mentioning Pakistan’s contributions in the Afghan peace process, he said it played an instrumental role in bringing the Taliban to negotiation table during 2019, Pakistan facilitated US-Taliban agreement in February 2020 in Doha.

Pakistan helped to convene the intra-Afghan dialogue, he said, adding Pakistan also joined the Troika comprising US, Russia and China to facilitate and move forward the Doha process.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan was looking forward to upcoming meeting of troika on August 11 in Doha.

Qureshi said a conference to further facilitate the Afghan peace process was scheduled in Islamabad but it was postponed on the request of Afghan president Asharf Ghani.

Expressing his regret over certain allegations, the foreign minister reiterated the need for effective utilization of available mechanism of cooperation between the two countries.

He further informed that he had invited Afghan foreign minister in writing to visit Islamabad, and discuss issues if he had in his mind so that they could resolve them.

The foreign minister also expressed Pakistan’s serious concerns over the growing violence and lack of substantive progress in intra-Afghan negotiations after the US and NATO troops were nearing completion of their withdrawal.

With regard to reports of human rights violations, Qureshi said Pakistan urged all sides to show respect to human rights and international humanitarian laws.

He further informed that Pakistan had shared its perspective over the Afghan situation with all the UN members through a circulated statement.

To a query, he said situation in Afghanistan was evolving but unfortunately, things had not been managed well.

He said they had advocated a responsible and orderly withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan.

The foreign minister said Pakistan could not be and should not be held responsible for the failures of others. “We will not be apologetic,” the foreign minister said, adding because they had been sincere and honest in facilitating the peace and stability process.

Qureshi said they had shared regional objectives as it synced with the objectives of PTI’s government that were the economic security of Pakistan.

He opined that until there had been peace in the region, the objectives of economic prosperity, energy linkages and regional connectivity could not be achieved.

The foreign minister said Pakistan had been a victim of Afghan spillover and its had people suffered. Pakistan paid the price of 80,000 thousand lives along with huge economic losses and the world was not oblivious to it.

Responding to another question, he said that they would avoid harsh statements after certain Afghan quarters made unfounded and baseless allegations.

“We have chosen to restraint in the larger interests of peace and stability,” he added.

He also reiterated that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used against any one including Afghanistan.

To a question the foreign minister maintained that they had facilitated the Afghan civilians and Afghan transit trade despite the coronavirus pandemic.

“Pakistan has been a generous and hospitable host to the 3 million Afghan refugees for four decades despite its limited resources,” he said, adding that if there was any new influx of Afghan refugees, Pakistan did not have the capacity to host them.

The foreign minister said it would be the collective responsibility of the international community and other immediate neighbours of Afghanistan in that case. Pakistan had been urging the international community to play their due role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and for the regional peace and stability.

He said Pakistan had accomplished about 98 per cent work on fencing of Pak-Afghan border to stop illegal movement of people.

To another question, he said Pakistan had clear priorities and about China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), there was a national consensus.

The foreign minister said CPEC had been targeted by the enemies of Pakistan, but they had unflinching resolve to foil all such attempts.

Citing different incidents like Serena, Dasu and Johar Town attacks, and Quetta blasts, he reiterated that work on CPEC would continue.

Responding to another query, Qureshi said Pakistan had expedited its efforts to become a president of the UNSC during 2025-26.

About the incident of Afghan ambassador’s daughter, the foreign minister said that they had shared all the details and evidences with the Afghan delegation as their moral responsibility.