ISLAMABAD: The participants of the Refugees Summit in Islamabad, co-sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of Pakistan to mark 40 years of hosting Afghan refugees in the country, have agreed that a set of measures should have taken that Afghanistan could not go to civil war again in future.
United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has emphasised on better ties between Islamabad and Kabul to achieve regional peace.
Expressing his hope of a successful Afghan peace process, Khalilzad said reconciliation and modern thinking will pave way for the war-torn country.
“Afghanistan has been faced conflict for 40 years – dangerous one that continues to this day,” he reflected. He said the US was looking towards reducing violence, negotiations with the Afghan Taliban and internal reconciliation.
Khalilzad underscored moving away from “blame game”, adding that the situation at hand offered both challenges and opportunities. He said the peace talks between US and Afghan Taliban will pave way for reconciliation in the country.
The US representative stressed over improved ties between Islamabad and Kabul to ensure peace in the region. He pushed for better economic and trade ties between the two neighbors.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to support Pakistan in the cause of hosting Afghan refugees.
He said Pakistan needs world support in hosting millions of Afghan refugees while he expressed gratitude for generosity of Pakistan by opening borders and hearts for refugees.
He said it is time to give chance to peace and development in Afghanistan.
Antonio Guterres said he is encouraged by Pakistan’s commitment for peace in Afghanistan. He said once peace is restored, the world should heavily invest for development of this area and providing equal opportunities to the displaced people.
He said Afghan led and Afghan owned peace process is the only solution in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said collective efforts will have to be made for durable peace in
Afghanistan. He said we will have to jointly defeat the enemies of peace. He said we can open a new era of
development in this region through joint efforts.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan and Afghanistan have dependency on each other.
The Foreign Minister said the most important role regarding peace in Afghanistan has to be played by Afghan people, and for the purpose, intra-Afghan dialogue is necessary.
He said refugees are natural ambassadors, who can take advantage of their linkages and can play a positive role in increasing trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Afghan Second Vice President Danish Sarwar said they are thankful to Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees for forty years.
He said Pakistan played the role of a brotherly country by hosting millions of Afghan refugees. He said we cannot forget as to how Pakistan and Iran opened their doors for Afghan refugees.
The Afghan Second Vice President said his government wants repatriation of Afghan refugees; however, for that, end of the war is imperative.
Addressing the conference UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said for the last 40 years, the people of Pakistan have stood with Afghan neighbors.
He said Pakistan’s solidarity to hosting refugees is admirable.However, he said, generosity does not come without cost, but it has impact on local economy, infrastructure and security.
The High Commissioner said international support to the Afghan refugees remained insufficient. He appealed to donors to lend support for development in Afghanistan.
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