Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in an article published by Washington Post on September 26, has expressed hope over ensuring of peace in Afghanistan.

“We have arrived at a rare moment of hope for Afghanistan and for our region. On Sept. 12, delegations from the Afghan government and the Taliban finally sat down in Doha, Qatar, to begin negotiations toward a political settlement that would bring the war in Afghanistan to an end, he said.

Imran Khan stated that the “intra-Afghan negotiations are likely to be even more difficult, requiring patience and compromise from all sides.”

“Progress could be slow and painstaking; there may even be the occasional deadlock, as Afghans work together for their future. At such times, we would do well to remember that a bloodless deadlock on the negotiating table is infinitely better than a bloody stalemate on the battlefield, ” he asserted.

He warned against a hasty international withdrawal from Afghanistan and added: “A hasty international withdrawal from Afghanistan would be unwise. We should also guard against regional spoilers who are not invested in peace and see instability in Afghanistan as advantageous for their own geopolitical ends.”

Elsewhere, he emphasized that no one can impose peace and stability on Afghanistan. “We also learned that peace and political stability in Afghanistan could not be imposed from the outside through the use of force. Only an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process, which recognizes Afghanistan’s political realities and diversity, could produce a lasting peace.” He stated.

Later on, he said: “The first step toward that peace has been taken in Doha. Not seeing through the Afghanistan peace process or abandoning it for any reason would be a great travesty.”

Arezo News – Salimi