The Foreign Office of Pakistan has Monday released a statement that the country has no favorites in Afghanistan and it sees all sides in the conflict as Afghans who need to decide about their future themselves.
Foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said certain sections have “misquoted and twisted” the recent remarks by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi over the need for “peace and stability in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process.”
Responding to the queries earlier today, the FO spokesperson said Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in Afghan peace process.
"The Foreign Minister in fact clearly spoke about consensus amongst international community, regional players and Afghans themselves against the menace of terrorism,” the FO statement said.
“The FM’s remarks cannot be in anyway misconstrued as advocacy for a particular side in the Afghan conflict.”
Chaudhri said all energies should be focused on finding an inclusive, broad based and comprehensive political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan.
No secret accords with US this time, Mooed Yusuf tells Washington presser
It is pertinent to note that late last week, national security adviser Moeed Yusuf said while addressing a news conference at the Pakistan embassy that this time there are no secret arrangements with the US like in the past.
Yusuf said Pakistan is looking forward to the leadership role of the US in Afghanistan and noted the only way forward in the developing situation there is political settlement. He clarified that Pakistan is not extending its bases to the US and shunned the theories of any secret US-Pak accords.