KABUL (MEP) – Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said any reservations Afghanistan has with Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally rather than involving the United States.
“They should talk directly to Pakistan. The US is planning to withdraw and we will always remain neighbors,” Qureshi told Reuters in an interview, referring to Washington’s intent to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
“You know a trust deficit has existed and Pakistan has done its best to bridge that trust deficit,” Qureshi said, adding; “If I have an issue with Afghanistan, I will not ask Washington to play a role.”
Prior to the signing of the US-Taliban peace deal, Qureshi had also said that without Islamabad’s cooperation, progress in the Afghan peace talks would not be possible and that Islamabad’s sincere efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan were productive.
The statements come as Afghan leaders have repeatedly complained about the presence of terrorists’ safe haven bases, especially the Taliban, on Pakistani soil.
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