Islamabad, (Samajweekly) Afghanistans acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday asked Pakistan and the banned militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to sit together for dialogue, media reports said.
“It is requested that Pakistan and TTP sit together for dialogue,” the Afghan minister said while addressing an event in Islamabad, The News reported.
The Taliban-led administration’s representative is currently on a four-day visit to Pakistan to attend bilateral and trilateral dialogues.
Muttaqi said the security situation in the region was discussed during his Islamabad visit.
Islamabad had held several rounds of talks — brokered by Kabul — with the outlawed TTP but the negotiations failed last year after which the militant group started terror activities.
Acknowledging Pakistan’s loss while fighting against terrorism, he said: “In the last 20 years, Pakistan has lost 80,000 lives to terrorism.”
Meanwhile, the minister also spoke about Afghanistan successfully achieving peace after 44 years, The News reported.
He added that the challenges faced by neighbouring countries Pakistan and Afghanistan are not different from one another. The minister said both countries have been through various situations and will now work together.
“Pakistan and Afghanistan will have to show flexibility and move towards a brighter future,” Muttaqi said.
Expressing Afghanistan’s interest in maintaining economic ties with Pakistan, the minister stated: “Pakistan has always been our focus. There has been interest in economic ties with the country since the beginning.”
The Afghan minister said that trade between the two nations continued despite political differences and hoped to continue economic relations in the future, The News reported.
Commenting on the significance of trade routes between the two countries, Muttaqi said: “Closure of trade routes eliminates several employment opportunities for ordinary citizens.”
Muttaqi suggested that bilateral progress can increase by 10 times with Pakistan’s investment in Afghanistan’s energy reserves, The News reported.
