Defense Minister of Pakistan: Negotiations with Afghanistan were fruitless

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said during a speech in the country’s parliament: “All possible paths for dialogue with Afghanistan have been taken, but Islamabad has not been able to receive the desired guarantees and commitments from the Afghan side.”

Referring to the request of some representatives to continue negotiations with Kabul, he stated: If any member of this parliament who supports dialogue can travel to Afghanistan with a delegation and obtain the necessary guarantees, the government is ready to support it. We have tried all avenues but have not been able to get a guarantee or commitment.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister also claimed that during the negotiations, Islamabad was ready to accept some demands of the Afghan side, but Kabul refused to provide written guarantees.

These statements were accompanied by the reaction of a number of members of the Pakistani Parliament. Khushhal Khan Kakar, a member of the Parliament of Pakistan, criticized the proposed positions and emphasized: Afghanistan is not Pakistan’s enemy and the relations between the two countries should not deviate from the path of dialogue.

Referring to the importance of economic relations between the two countries, he called for the reopening of trade routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and said: “Some of our policies may have caused discontent among Afghans, but Afghanistan and its people are not enemies of Pakistan.”

At the same time, Abdul Ghafoor Heydari, another member of the Pakistani Parliament, also emphasized the necessity of continuing diplomatic efforts and stated: Just as the negotiations between Iran and the United States were able to lead to positive results, the talks between Islamabad and Kabul can also succeed if pursued seriously and constructively.