Committed for peace in Afghanistan: Pakistan's Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said today that it was committed to promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan for the best interest of the two countries and the region.

Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Qazi Khalilullah during his weekly news briefing said Pakistan supports Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process but it was for Afghanistan to take next step in this regard.

"Pakistan is committed to promoting peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan because we believe that peace in Afghanistan is in the interest of both the countries as well as the entire region.

"However, we have also said that further steps have to be decided by the Afghans themselves. We remain ready to facilitate," he said.

He said that Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz who is in Kabul to attend the 6th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan will ask Afghanistan to stop blaming Pakistan for unrest.

Khalilullah said that anti-Pakistan campaign from Afghanistan is counter-productive and will not serve the interests of the people of the two countries.

To a question about the panned meeting between DG Rangers and chief of Indian Border Security Force in New Delhi, he said that "as far as I know, the meeting will take place as scheduled".

He also said during her recent visit to Islamabad, US National Security Advisor Susan Rice discussed bilateral relations in trade, energy, defence, security and counter-terrorism.