Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan, called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday. Qureshi welcomed the delegation and underscored the historic ties of amity and brotherhood between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He reaffirmed Pakistan's desire to further strength the close fraternal relations between the two countries. The foreign minister emphasized that Pakistan has always supported a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan has consistently underlined that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. The foreign minister added that Pakistan facilitated the process that culminated in the US-Taliban Peace Agreement in Doha on Feb. 29, 2020 and supported the commencement of Intra-Afghan negotiations. The foreign minister stressed the importance of an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process. He underscored that all parties must honor their respective commitments and work for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire. The Afghan leaders must seize this historic opportunity to achieve durable and sustainable peace in Afghanistan. The foreign minister also underlined the importance of exercising vigilance and guarding against the role of ‘spoilers', both within and outside. He highlighted the steps taken by Pakistan to support Afghanistan on its path to reconstruction and economic development as well as for improved transit and bilateral trade relations. Qureshi underlined the importance of making the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland with dignity and honor a part of the peace process. Hekmatyar is on a three-day visit to Pakistan. During the visit, he will have meetings with political and parliamentary leadership and other dignitaries. — SG
