ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday emphasized the need for inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations to develop a road map for future peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He was talking to US Special Representative for Reconciliation in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad who briefly visited Pakistan before continuing his journey to Doha, Qatar, where he is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Afghan Taliban.
Recalling his recent interaction with US President Donald Trump in Washington, the prime minister emphasized that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan as well as of the broader region.
Khan also expressed satisfaction at the evolving international consensus and interest in fully supporting efforts to achieve long term peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Khalilzad also met with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday and shared the outcomes of the last US-Taliban peace talks in Doha and his recent engagements in Kabul.
The foreign minister welcomed the progress achieved in the talks and the Intra-Afghan Peace Conference in Doha in which all participants agreed on a basic road map for peace. He also noted that Pakistan would continue to play a supportive role for smooth progress and successful outcome of these peace efforts.
Addressing a group of journalists earlier in the day, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr. Muhammad Faisal clearly stated that Pakistan’s position on the Afghan issue was to facilitate the peace process, not to become a guarantor.
“I will reiterate Pakistan’s position on the peace process,” he said, “which is to facilitate peace talks in good faith and as a shared responsibility. Pakistan has been facilitating the peace process and talks with the Taliban … to bring peace, security, and stability in Afghanistan and the entire region.”
It is pertinent to mention here that the country’s prime minister, during his first official visit to Washington last month, said he would try to persuade the Afghan Taliban to resolve issues that were impeding progress toward peace in the region.
However, Rahimullah Yusufzai, an expert on Pak-Afghan relations, told Arab News it would be “difficult for Pakistan to convince the Taliban to have a direct dialogue with the Afghan government.”
“The Taliban have their own stance regarding the legitimacy of the Afghan government,” he said, though he also added that the Afghan insurgent group and the US had “shown flexibility during different rounds of dialogue in Doha” which was “a positive sign.”
During the news briefing on Thursday, Dr. Faisal noted that the prime minister was “personally committed to the Afghan peace process.”
“We will continue stressing for a comprehensive and all-inclusive Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process and, in this regard, we are working with all stakeholders,” he continued. “Matters related to the visit of the Taliban, as announced by the prime minister, are being finalized.”
Media reports suggest that the US is close to signing an agreement with the Taliban that have fought the international forces since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.
“I’m off to Doha, with a brief stop in Islamabad. In Doha, if the Taliban do their part, we will do ours, and conclude the agreement we have been working on,” Khalilzad also said in a Twitter post on Wednesday.
However, Faisal told Arab News on Thursday that talks were continuing and no one should try to prejudge their conclusion. He also added that no major breakthrough was immediately expected due to the complexity of issues and the number of stakeholders involved.
“Pakistan will continue to support an outcome acceptable to all Afghans that is also in line with the efforts made by the US and international community,” he added.
PM Khan says only inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue can end conflict in neighborhood
https://arab.news/zj4wu
PM Khan says only inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue can end conflict in neighborhood
- Expresses satisfaction at evolving international consensus and interest in supporting long term peace and stability in Afghanistan
- Pakistan reiterates it is playing the role of a facilitator, not guarantor, in peace talks
Imran Khan spokesman rejects Pakistan media report party accepted PM’s offer for talks
- News report claims Khan instructed party’s chairman to hold talks with government in private for “meaningful outcomes”
- Khan aide Sayed Zulfikar Bokhari describes report as “fake news,” says government did not make any offer for talks
KARACHI: Former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party spokesperson on Thursday rejected a news report that claimed he had given the green signal for fresh negotiations with the government, describing it as “fake news.”
Pakistani English language newspaper “The News” reported on Thursday that Khan had accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer to hold negotiations and instructed the party’s chairman, Gohar Ali Khan, to proceed with talks. The report said Khan had expressed “a strong preference” that the talks be conducted away from the TV cameras to ensure “meaningful outcomes.”
The PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government have been at loggerheads ever since Khan was ousted from the prime minister’s office via a parliamentary vote in April 2022. The former premier has been in jail since August 2023 on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated. His party has led anti-government protests and marches that have led to clashes with law enforcement personnel.
“There is no such statement made by Imran Khan,” Sayed Zulfikar Bokhari, Khan’s adviser on international affairs and a former federal minister, told Arab News. “It is fake news. Neither has any offer been made to sit with Shehbaz Sharif or vice versa.”
Meanwhile, Gohar declined to comment on the development. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and the government’s legal spokesperson, Aqeel Malik, did not respond to Arab News’ request for a comment.
Attempts to break the political deadlock in the country via a dialogue between the PTI and the government began in December 2024. However, talks collapsed after the PTI in January presented its demands, which included the formation of judicial commissions to probe the party’s anti-government protests in May 2023 and November 2024.
The violent protest rallies, including the one on May 9, 2023, saw people carrying PTI flags rampage through military offices and installations. A second anti-government protest in November 2024 was held by the party to demand Khan’s release from prison. The government says four troops were killed in clashes with Khan supporters. The PTI denies the charges and claimed its supporters were shot by law enforcers.
The PTI gave the government seven days to form the judicial commissions, after the expiry of which the party unilaterally withdrew from talks in January.
Trump says Pakistan-India dispute settled, both ‘very happy’
- Nuclear-armed neighbors halted their worst fighting in nearly three decades after agreeing to US-brokered ceasefire
- Deadly fighting broke out between arch rivals last week after India struck what it said were “terror camps” in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump said on Thursday hostilities between Pakistan and India were settled and both nations were “very happy” with a ceasefire brokered by the US last week.
The nuclear-armed neighbors halted their worst fighting in nearly three decades after agreeing to a ceasefire on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States.
“And Pakistan was very happy with that [ceasefire] and India was very happy with that and I think they’re on the way,” Trump told troops at a base in Qatar during a Gulf tour.
“We got that settled where everybody was very happy. I’ll tell you that it looked like it was really going to be escalating out of control.”
Deadly fighting broke out between the longstanding enemies last week after India struck what it said were “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in retaliation for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that killed 26. New Delhi said the assault was backed by Pakistan.
Islamabad had denied the allegations, and both countries sent missiles and drones into each other’s airspace in the days that followed, before they reached a truce.
Kashmir is disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both claiming it in full but ruling it in part.
Pakistan says US decision to lift Syria sanctions ‘pivotal step’ for regional stability
- US President Donald Trump this week announced lifting Syria sanctions “to give them a chance at greatness”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Thursday welcomed US President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria, describing the decision as a “pivotal step” toward regional stability and the country’s economic recovery.
In a speech given in Riyadh amidst Trump’s trip to the Middle East this week, the US president said he “will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.”
The surprise announcement marked a significant shift in Washington’s policy toward Syria, where sanctions targeted ousted President Bashar Assad’s government during several years of war. US imposed the sanctions on Syria over its alleged crackdown on dissent and reported human rights abuses.
“Pakistan welcomes the United States’ decision to lift sanctions from Syria, marking a pivotal step toward regional stability and economic recovery,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement.
The foreign office said Islamabad has consistently advocated for constructive engagement and dialogue. It added that the easing of sanctions is expected to facilitate economic growth, improve access to essential services and support the rebuilding efforts of the Syrian authorities.
“We commend the commitment of all countries, in particular the US, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, working constructively toward a peaceful Syria,” it added.
The foreign office said Islamabad supports a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned resolution, and remains steadfast in its support for the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Syria’s new government has sought to rebuild its ties with regional countries and international financial institutions after Assad’s ouster. The United Kingdom has also removed its sanctions on 12 Syrian government entities, including the ministries of defense and interior, and the General Intelligence Directorate.
UAE to build 20-bed hospital in Sindh under agreement with provincial government
- The hospital will be constructed in Qambar in the northwestern part of the province
- UAE has also built similar health care facilities in places like Sukkur and Larkana
KARACHI: The United Arab Emirates and Pakistan’s provincial government of Sindh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday to establish a modern 20-bed hospital in Qambar, located in the northwestern part of the province, according to an official statement.
The UAE has undertaken several health care and development projects in Sindh in recent years, including the expansion of Sheikh Zayed Hospital for Women in Larkana and a pledged women and children’s hospital in Sukkur.
The new facility in Qambar adds to a growing portfolio of UAE-backed efforts aimed at improving public services and infrastructure in underserved areas of the province.
“The United Arab Emirates will establish a 20-bed hospital equipped with modern medical facilities in Qambar,” the Chief Minister’s spokesperson said.
“The facility will be named Sheikh Zayed Hospital,” the statement added.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who attended the signing ceremony held at his official residence, thanked the UAE authorities for the initiative and said it would help improve health care access in an underserved part of the province.
Pakistan and the UAE have longstanding ties, with the Gulf country supporting multiple infrastructure and humanitarian projects across Pakistan in recent years.
The UAE is also home to a large Pakistani community, which is one of the biggest sources of remittances to the South Asian country
Pakistan PM reaffirms India ceasefire commitment, says Kashmir resolution key to regional peace
- Shehbaz Sharif expresses concern over ‘provocative statements’ by Indian leaders following the ceasefire
- He tells Azerbaijani president Pakistan remains prepared to defend its sovereignty against any attack
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a recently agreed ceasefire with India but stressed that lasting peace in South Asia would only be possible through the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
Sharif made the statement during a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, days after cross-border hostilities between India and Pakistan were halted under a ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump.
According to an official statement, Sharif said his country had accepted ceasefire in the interest of regional peace but warned that it remained prepared to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of another attack.
“The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is the root cause of instability in South Asia, which should be resolved in accordance with the UN Security Council’s resolutions,” he said, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
He also expressed concern over recent “provocative statements” by Indian leaders following the agreement.
Sharif thanked Azerbaijan for its stance on Kashmir and reiterated Pakistan’s appreciation for the solidarity shown by its leadership and people during the recent standoff.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral ties, with the Pakistani prime minister welcoming progress on proposals for up to $2 billion in Azerbaijani investments in Pakistan across multiple sectors.
He said Islamabad was committed to transforming its relations with Baku into a mutually beneficial economic partnership.
President Aliyev congratulated Sharif on Pakistan’s handling of the recent crisis and expressed support for the ceasefire agreement.
He reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The Pakistani premier extended an invitation to Aliyev to undertake an official visit to Pakistan, which the Azerbaijani leader accepted.
