Pakistan assures Washington to support Afghan-led peace process

The United States National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton and Secretary of State Micheal Pompeo held separate talks with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Washington, where issues in Afghanistan dominated the separate meetings.

Qureshi is visiting Washington on Pompeo’s invitation, who had visited Islamabad earlier this month to hold talks with the newly elected government.

During separate meetings, Pakistan reiterated its commitment to support an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan in the both meetings.

According to statements released by the Pakistan embassy in the US, the country’s relationship with its nuclear-armed rival India was also discussed in this context.

While the media expected a joint statement, both sides released separate statements, explaining how far this attempt to “reset” had gone. The cautious silence on both sides, however, indicated that the talks were not as successful as expected.

According to the statement, Qureshi repeated Pakistan’s stance that the Afghanistan issue had no military solution and insisted that peace in the neighbouring country was vital for stability in the region.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to promote progress in Afghanistan by initiating the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity.