Pakistan on Monday cautioned that escalating tensions in the Middle East following the killing of Iran’s Al-Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani could hit the already fragile reconciliation process in neighboring Afghanistan.

“The crisis will have a negative impact on Afghanistan, and Pakistan’s efforts in this regard could be undone,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi observed while delivering a policy statement in the country’s upper house in Islamabad.

“Some elements, who have long been awaiting for this [kind of] moment, may take advantage and try to derail the Afghan peace process,” Qureshi further said without naming any individual, group or the country.

In December 2018, Pakistan arranged rare direct talks between Washington and the Taliban, paving the way for a negotiated settlement of the conflict.

Arezo News Website