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ISLAMABAD: Responding to Islamabad’s complaints to Kabul on safety points, Afghan Chargé d’Affaires Mawlawi Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb stated on Tuesday Afghanistan won’t permit its soil for use by terrorist teams towards Pakistan.
He was talking at a seminar titled “Strengthening Financial Ties between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia” organised by the Institute of Regional Research (IRS).
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant assaults for the reason that Taliban authorities returned to energy in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021, principally within the northwestern border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but in addition in southwestern Balochistan, which abuts Afghanistan and Iran.
Islamabad accuses Kabul’s interim rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil as they put together to stage assaults on Pakistan.
“Each Pakistan and Afghanistan are going through safety challenges and peace, safety and stability within the area is our want,” stated the Afghan diplomat.
Talking concerning the Pakistan authorities’s safety considerations in relation to Afghanistan, Shakeeb stated Kabul was making an attempt to steer Islamabad that “some non-state components are behind infiltration inside Pakistan”.
Shakeeb pressured that Afghanistan’s coverage is obvious that it doesn’t assist non-state components.
Talking concerning the China-Pakistan Financial Hall (CPEC), Shakeeb stated that the venture created many alternatives for the area which may gain advantage Afghanistan as effectively.
He additionally stated that Afghanistan’s involvement within the Belt and Highway Initiative wouldn’t solely improve investments in its infrastructure but in addition deliver the regional international locations nearer.
“We consider that trilateral cooperation amongst Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China can usher in a brand new period of regional collaboration.”
Terming Pakistan as one of many main commerce companions of Afghanistan, he expressed the Afghan interim administration’s dedication to the enhancement of commerce and funding between the 2 international locations.
He acknowledged the current challenges in commerce and financial relations between the 2 international locations however felt that Afghanistan was striving to revitalise the financial relations.
In addition to the security-related points, the Taliban diplomat highlighted the Western sanctions, frequent closures of crossing factors, restricted customs facilitation, sudden and unilateral will increase in tariffs, and frequent checking of loaded automobiles as main obstacles to commerce flows.
He underlined the necessity for the 2 international locations to put money into commerce infrastructure, streamline customs processes, strengthen commerce amenities, develop transportation hyperlinks, construct mutual belief, and improve diplomatic dialogues to attain long-term commerce advantages.
Whereas calling for larger collaboration on financial insurance policies and growth of transportation and transit initiatives between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he emphasised the desirability of sustained diplomatic engagement among the many regional international locations and joint efforts for peace and safety to supply a sustainable basis for regional financial cooperation.
Shakeeb additionally underpinned the necessity to chorus from imposing financial restrictions and different insurance policies that hinder regional financial cooperation.
The Afghan Chargé d’Affaires highlighted the significance of Afghanistan as a bridge between South and Central Asia.
He shared that the Afghan interim administration had already began work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) gasoline pipeline and added that Kazakhstan had expressed curiosity in becoming a member of the venture.
Shakeeb additional shared Afghanistan was working in the direction of implementing initiatives such because the Trans-Afghan Railway, CASA-1000, and different regional initiatives.
Talking on the event, IRS President Ambassador Jauhar Saleem underscored the significance of peace and stability in Afghanistan for intraregional commerce and financial prosperity.
He felt that any insecurity in Afghanistan and lack of ability to stop the outflow of terrorism wouldn’t permit the constructing of regional financial cooperation that would assist deliver prosperity to the individuals of all the neighbourhood.