Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday underlined the need for achieving an inclusive political settlement and the importance of the international community in providing humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghanistan.
The foreign minister also emphasized that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was of paramount importance for Pakistan and the region. The foreign minister received a telephone call from the Foreign Minister of Canada Marc Garneau. The two foreign ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan and also spoke about bilateral matters, a press release said. He also apprised minister Garneau of his regional outreach efforts regarding the situation in Afghanistan.
Qureshi briefed his Canadian counterpart regarding humanitarian support provided by Pakistan including establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of relief goods and in-kind assistance by Pakistan for Afghan brethren through air and land routes. In the bilateral context, the foreign minister Qureshi expressed the hope that the next round of Bilateral Political Consultations scheduled to be held in October 2021 would be conducted ‘in-person’ if the Covid situation improved.
He also called upon the Canadian government to ease the visa regime especially for students and businessmen and asked for further positive revision of Canadian travel advisory for Pakistan.
In regard to the tragic incident on 16 September, involving a Pakistani-Canadian family in Hamilton Ontario, the foreign minister expressed confidence in the ability of Canadian authorities to ensure justice.
The Canadian foreign minister agreed that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was crucial for regional peace, stability and prosperity, and praised Pakistan’s efforts in promoting these objectives. He expressed gratitude to Pakistan for its facilitation in evacuation related matters and hoped that such support would continue.
The two foreign ministers agreed to remain engaged and further strengthen bilateral ties. This was the fourth call between the two foreign ministers in recent months.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be visiting the United Kingdom to hold talks with British officials on Afghanistan and other issues. The foreign minister will be in London from September 26-29, a private TV channel reported.
During his visit, Shah Mahmood Qureshi will meet senior British government officials, including those responsible for dealing with Afghanistan and the wider South Asian region. The foreign minister will also address a key defence think tank during his visit and will hold talks with British-Pakistani community leaders. Reports said that details of the foreign minister’s UK visit have been finalised and will be officially announced soon.
The foreign minister, in a recent interview to The Independent, had said the UK should “accept the new reality” in Afghanistan and deliver immediate aid to the Taliban-run country, warning that isolating the Taliban authorities would lead to economic collapse, “anarchy”, and “chaos”. He said the UK and its Western allies were not doing enough to engage with the Taliban administration or to avert a burgeoning humanitarian crisis and urged the West to provide supplies with no political conditions attached. “My message [to the UK] is that there is a new reality in Afghanistan. Accept the new reality and let us work to achieve our objectives,” Qureshi had said.
The news of his visit comes a day after UK Secretary of State for Transport Rt Hon Grant Shapps had said Pakistan would finally be removed from Britain’s red list on September 22. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh, Kenya, Turkey, Egypt, and the Maldives are among the eight countries that are set to be removed from England’s red list, according to the British official.
