Pakistan urges Taliban to join Afghanistan's peace process

Pakistan urges Taliban to join Afghanistan's peace process

Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. (File Photo: IANS)

Islamabad, March 30 (IANS) Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its support for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's recent peace overture and urged the Taliban insurgents to join the reconciliation process.

Ghani unveiled his peace offer to the Taliban last month that includes recognizing the group as a political party, allowing it to open an office in Kabul, issuing passports to its members and removing the names of its senior commanders from the UN terrorist blacklist.

"Pakistan has been urging Taliban through it public statements, as well as private messaging to join the peace process. This, we feel, is a shared responsibility. Pakistan should not be singled out in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said at his weekly briefing.

The spokesman said that Pakistan has reiterated that only through political reconciliation, wherein all warring factions begin a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue with the Afghan government, can lasting peace be achieved in Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan welcomed Ghani's vision for peace and supported his offer of peace talks with the Taliban.

--IANS

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