Regional peace impossible without Afghan stability: Gilani

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday said he had unambiguously told US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that peace in the region was linked to peace in Afghanistan.
“I told this to Secretary Clinton when she met me,” the prime minister said, adding that Pakistan was ready to train the Afghan army, police and administration to cope with the aftermath of the 2014 period.
Talking to Ustad Mohaqiq, member of Wolesi Jirga and the Chairman of Commission on Law and Justice of Wolesi Jirga at the PM’s House, Gilani reiterated Pakistan’s commit to peace and prosperity in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Gilani said there could be no peace in the region if there is no peace in Afghanistan. Friendship and animosity could not co-exist and the same was the case with the reconciliation and brinkmanship, he added.
The prime minister urged the need for frequent exchanges of the parliamentarians of the both countries because people-to-people contact was the best diplomacy to build bridges among the people.
He said it was his vision to develop good neighbourly relations with the countries of the region, because this paradigm shift in the foreign policy best served the national interests. It was in accordance with this vision that he had embarked upon a diplomacy aimed at enhancing cooperation among the countries located in this part of the world, the prime minister said.
Gilani said he had met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Karzai, the Iranian president and leaders of Central Asian Republics to further the cause of friendly relations with the countries situated in close proximity to Pakistan. “Such a shift in the foreign policy is critical to establish connectivity among the people of the countries and promote intra-regional trade, laying the foundation for the sustainable bonds, a prelude to social development of the people,” he said. “Pakistan supports the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of reconciliation. We want to see independent, prosperous and stable Afghanistan. My government will support any solution which will not destabilise Pakistan as was the case last time when this country had to host three million Afghan refugees,” the prime minister stated, adding that he went to Quetta and expressed his deep condolences over the brutal killing of the Hazara community’s pilgrims and directed the administration to take all steps to ensure their safety of the life and property. “Interior Minister Rehman Malik recently visited Quetta on my instruction to assure the community that the government would bring the culprits to justice”, the prime minister added. Gilani said Pakistan had contributed $350 million to take part in the rehabilitation of Afghanistan and awarded 2,000 scholarships to Afghan students who were now studying in various universities of Pakistan. He thanked Ustad Mohaqiq for giving a piece of land to build Jinnah Hospital in Afghanistan with the assistance of Pakistan, including a number of basic health units and primary schools. Ustad Mohaqiq said both countries shared common traditions, culture and history and paid tribute to the leadership of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, saying he was a man of peace. He advocated the reconciliation process in which Taliban should be included provided they accepted the Afghan constitution.
He thanked the Prime Minister for taking effective measures to protect the Hazara community.