Prime Minister Imran Khan had met with CRSS’s Pak-Afghan Track II diplomacy project’s “Beyond Boundaries” regional security experts from Pakistan and Afghanistan, at Serena Hotel, on January 12, 2016.
During the meeting with the Afghan delegation, Imran Khan, who was Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Member of National Assembly at that time, talked about his vision for Pak-Afghan relations and for peace in Afghanistan in particular: “Afghanistan has suffered for too long and the people in Afghanistan deserve peace as any other country. Pakistan should pursue a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, as stated by the government of Pakistan. Peace in Afghanistan will be the key to peace in Pakistan and all efforts should be made to pursue this objective. I am not pro-Taliban; I am anti-war – as war is never a solution for any country.”
He noted that Pakistan itself has suffered a lot due to terrorism. More than 60,000 people have died in Pakistan and over $100 billion worth of losses have been inflicted on the Pakistani nation. Both countries need to work together for peace and security in the region. He said that future of this region doesn’t lie in boundaries and hoped that in future there will be a time when Afghan and Pakistani citizens will have the right of free movement without barriers – similar to European Union.
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
