Former foreign secretary Akram Zaki has appreciated the government’s decision to attend Chicago conference, saying the conference would provide Pakistan an opportunity to safeguard its national interests in Afghanistan. Talking to Radio Pakistan, Akram Zaki said they should make new agreement with the US and NATO in the light of given principles, adding that Chicago conference would help us improve our ties with the West.
He said confrontation with the West was not in Pakistan’s interests. Zaki said Pakistan should get compensation for routes, besides compensation for the families of martyrs of Salala Check post from the US and NATO. He said the West had realized that Afghan solution could not be found without Pakistan’s cooperation, adding that Pakistan got registered its anger to the West, when it said “no to Bonn conference”. To a question, Zaki said President Asif Ali Zardari would make it clear to the West in the Chicago conference that the Afghan issue could not be resolved without Pakistan. Senior journalist Arif Nizami said in his comments that the Chicago conference had great significance in view of withdrawal strategy of the US from Afghanistan that is why Pakistan’s participation in the conference was necessary to protect its interests in the changing environment of Afghanistan and the region.
Talking to Radio Pakistan, he said the Chicago conference would set the road map for peace in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan can play a vital role in peace talks on Afghanistan. “Indian role in Afghanistan may be minimized through Pakistan’s active participation in all conferences and summits with regard to Afghanistan,” he said.