Amritsar: Pakistan’s envoy Sartaj Aziz said on Sunday that the country was committed to peace and that it was wrong to blame the country for the violence in Afghanistan.
“The security situation in Afghanistan is very complex. It is simplistic to blame only one country for the recent upsurge in violence. We need to have an objective and holistic view,” he said at the sixth Heart of Asia conference.
“My participation in the event, despite escalation on the Line of Control and the Working Boundary with India, is testimony to Pakistan’s unflinching commitment for lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region. I look forward to meaningful deliberations today towards this objective,” he added.
Aziz’ comment came after Ghani snubbed Pakistan’s offer to invest $500 million to reconstruct his war-torn country, saying Islamabad should instead use the money to fight terrorists operating on its soil at the conference. “No amount of money can assist us if there is support to terrorists by Pakistan. Military operations in Pakistan have brought about selective displacement of terrorists... State-sponsored sanctuaries exist in Pakistan... Even the Taliban say they cannot survive even a month without support from Pakistan,” he said.
Aziz said that Pakistan was aware of the problems Afghanistan faced and was ready to work with the country to deal with them. “We are cognizant that Afghanistan continues to face many serious challenges. The first and foremost in our view is continuing violence and acts of terrorism claiming scores of human lives. This needs to be addressed urgently and effectively through collective efforts,” he said.
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