Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said responsibility rests with the Afghan leadership to create conducive environment for the dialogue to move forward.
In a statement on Tuesday, he said the peace deal signed in Doha was a first major step and the next step is the intra-Afghan dialogue. He said this opportunity should not be missed and both the sides should move forward and demonstrate flexibility.
He observed that this process will not be easy at all but Afghanistan and its people will suffer if it does not succeed. He reminded that the war of two decades did not give anything to the Afghan people. War is not a solution to any problem.
He said it is the test case of the Afghan leadership as well as all the other groups whether they move forward or resort to the same intransigence.
Qureshi said Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan played its role which was also appreciated by the world community.
The Foreign Minister said swap of prisoners is part of the deal signed by the Taliban and the United States. He said the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani should seek details of the agreement from Washington. He said according to his information, the US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad kept the Afghan leadership informed about the dialogue with the Taliban.
He stressed that goodwill gestures are important when somebody moves from the war to peace. He said the release of prisoners will not be unilateral but bilateral.
