Pakistan trying to bridge communication gap with ‘misguided Afghans’

• FO spokesman says Durand Line a settled issue, Afghans being misguided by certain elements who do not want peace in Afghanistan

The Foreign Office on Thursday said Pakistan believes in dialogue to reduce tension with Afghanistan and efforts were afoot to bridge communication gap with ‘misguided Afghans’.

“Afghans are being misguided by those not interested to see peace in Afghanistan,” the Foreign Office Spokesman said at a weekly press briefing here in response to a question regarding the recent unprovoked firing by Afghan forces at the Torkham border area.

Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said Pakistan wanted to resolve issues through negotiations with the Afghan government.

“We have shared our concern and disappointment with the Afghan government and have also urged them to take necessary steps to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future,” he said.

The spokesman said the recent tension over Pak-Afghan border was against the spirit of friendship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which share common religion and cultural values.

Updating about the current situation at Pak-Afghan border, Zakaria said both sides were in contact with each other.

“Small irritants, uneasiness and tension is a common thing among countries and can be resolved through dialogue,” he said.

He said Pakistan believed that effective border management could serve mutual interests, which was basically to address the concerns on both sides directly relating to terrorism.

He termed the border management essentially a part of Pak-Afghan counter-terrorism efforts and said Pakistan was determined to put in place measures to regulate cross-border movements with effective controls.

He mentioned that more gates would be constructed at the entry and crossing points along 2400-kilometre-long porous Pak-Afghan border and said the plan would be executed phase-wise.

About repatriation of Afghan refugees, he said it was time for Afghanistan and international community to step forward in rehabilitating the three million Afghan refugees which Pakistan had been hosting for over 35 years.

“It is the earnest desire of Pakistan to see peace in Afghanistan so that Afghan refugees could return to their country in a dignified manner,” he said.