Afghanistan Peace CampaignResponding to calls for continued dialogue, he urged Pakistani politicians to visit Afghanistan and obtain guarantees.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has told parliament that all talks held with Afghanistan have yielded no results.
Asif claimed that during negotiations between the two countries, Islamabad was prepared to accept the Islamic Emirate’s demands, but said the Islamic Emirate refused to provide written guarantees.
Responding to calls for continued dialogue, he urged Pakistani politicians to visit Afghanistan and obtain guarantees.
He stated: “If any member of this house who advocates dialogue can secure guarantees and travel there with a delegation, we are ready. But they should not return empty-handed. We have tried every avenue and failed to obtain assurances and commitments.”
During the same session, parliament member Khushhal Khan Kakar criticized the defense minister, arguing that Afghanistan is not Pakistan’s enemy.
Emphasizing the importance of trade with Afghanistan, he called for the reopening of trade routes between the two countries.
Kakar said: “You described Afghanistan and Afghans as your enemies. We accept that some of our policies may have angered Afghans, but they are not your enemies.”
Another parliamentarian, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, stated that if negotiations between the United States and Iran can succeed, talks with Afghanistan can also be productive, urging serious and meaningful dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on Asif’s remarks. Previously, however, it attributed the failure of Afghanistan-Pakistan talks to the lack of authority of Pakistani delegations and the existence of elements within Pakistan’s system that seek to undermine bilateral relations.
The remarks come a day after the leader of Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam also criticized his country’s policy toward Afghanistan and called for a review of it.