Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has on Friday held a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the sidelines of the Central and South Asia 2021 conference.
PM Imran Khan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani are leading their respective delegations in the talks during the meeting.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI and President of Afghanistan @AshrafGhani met on the sidelines of Central and South Asia 2021: Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities’ conference#PMIKinUzbekistan pic.twitter.com/nDy5WbCvIv
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) July 16, 2021
Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG-ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz also attended the talks.
“Pakistan hosts more than 3 million Afghan Refugees, does not have a capacity for more,” the premier said.
He further said that turbulence in Afghanistan is the last thing we want.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that no country has done more than Pakistan to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table adding that it is very unfair to blame Pakistan for what is happening in Afghanistan.
Addressing the Central and South Asia Conference in Tashkent, he responded to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s remarks about Pakistan’s negative role in the Afghan conflict, saying, that Pakistan is the most affected due to the Afghan conflict.
He further said that Pakistan has lost 70,000 lives in the last 15 years, adding that escalation of the conflict would be the last thing Pakistan wanted.
“Our economy is finally recovering, and we are going through one of the most difficult periods,” he said.
“I repeat, the mess in Afghanistan will be the last thing Pakistan wants. I can assure you that no country has done more than Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table,” he said.
“With the reduction of military action against the Taliban in Pakistan, we have made every effort to bring them to the negotiating table so that a peaceful settlement can take place,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that it is very unjust to blame Pakistan for what is happening in Afghanistan.
“The whole point was to see Pakistan as a partner in peace. I was very disappointed that Pakistan was blamed for what was happening in Afghanistan,” he said.
He said that what is happening in Afghanistan is due to two decades of conflict, deep divisions and unfortunately the United States tried finding a military solution but they did not win.
