Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said that peace and stability in Afghanistan are pre-requisite for progress and prosperity in Pakistan.
She was speaking to a discussion organised by Germany’s prestigious Korber Foundation. On the occasion, German parliamentarians, senior officials, academicians and journalists were present and discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the region.
Hina Khar recounted Pakistan’s contributions and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, by saying that Pakistan had lost over 40,000 lives and suffered economic losses worth $ 100 billion.
“This was a cost that we had to pay for the situation in our neighbourhood. Pakistan was the worst victim of war in Afghanistan but will be the biggest beneficiary of stability in Afghanistan”, the foreign minister added.
She said that to achieve peace in Afghanistan, international community must support and accelerate Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliation process.
Speaking about Pak-US relations, Foreign Minister said that nine months after the Salala incident, Pakistan-US relations were now back on track. The two countries, however, do have differences over drone attacks which are in violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and international law. She stressed that as an ally in counter-terrorism, Pakistan expects the US to respect its sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Hina Rabbani Khar called on the German Minister for Defence Thomas de Maizière here Tuesday.
In an hour long meeting which was held in an atmosphere of cordiality and spirit of cooperation, the two ministers expressed their satisfaction over growing bilateral cooperation in the field of Defence.
They expressed confidence that the MoU on bilateral defence cooperation, signed earlier this year, would help promote bilateral cooperation in defence. The two ministers also exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan.
