Pakistan Consul General Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, while speaking at a seminar held at the University of Michigan, said that a dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban remains the only way to end war in Afghanistan and restore peace and stability in the region.
The toxic footprint of ISIL/Daesh in Afghanistan poses a threat to regional and international peace and must be eliminated, the diplomat said on Sunday.
Organised by the university’s Center for South Asian Studies, the seminar on “Pakistan and Current Geopolitics” was joined by the faculty and students from Rutgers University, New Jersey via a video link.
The Center for South Asia Studies Director Dr Farina Mir welcomed the consul general to Michigan to talk to students for the second time in three years.
In his remarks, Tirmizi also stressed the need for genuine and result-based talks between India and Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues including the core issue of Kashmir.
Pakistan could act as a bridge in resolving the differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, he said, adding that the situation in the Middle East could not be stabilised without Riyadh-Tehran understanding.
The consul general urged that the US to support the construction of Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline as it was financially feasible and would help in integrating regional economies leading to lasting peace and stability.
The seminar concluded with a 45-minute question-answer session during which students of both universities inquired about Pakistan’s internal situation, Islamabad-New Delhi ties, especially in the wake of the death sentence handed down to Indian spy Kulbahusan Yadav, and the situation in Afghanistan.
On Afghanistan, he stressed the importance of a negotiated settlement through the guarantee of countries like Pakistan, US, and China that have direct stakes in that country.
Questions were also asked about the trajectory of Pak-US relations under the Trump administration.
Tirmizi said he believes that Pakistan and United States could be drivers of peace, security and stability in the region.
