ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed his hope on Wednesday that the new American envoy for reconciliation in Afghanistan would be “more sensitive to opinion in Pakistan” than he had been in the past.
Addressing a crowded auditorium at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington DC, Qureshi said that Zalmay Khalilzad’s appointment had created some consternation in his country since he had once advocated that Pakistan be declared a terrorist state for harboring insurgent groups fighting in Afghanistan.
“As individuals we can say what we want, but once you have an official position you have to be more restrained and you have to be more sensitive,” Qureshi said.
Discussing his diplomatic engagements in the United States, the foreign minister said that he had met with a number of officials in the Trump administration. He also noted that he wanted members of the US Congress to visit his country and travel through the tribal districts.
Qureshi maintained that such a trip would help American lawmakers realize that there were no militant sanctuaries in Pakistan and show them that his country had successfully reclaimed its volatile northwestern territories where the government’s writ had crumbled in the past.
However, the minister said his government remains concerned about militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan that “exist on your [America’s] watch.”
He also stressed that it is unfair to blame Pakistan for all the problems in Afghanistan.
“We cannot and should not be blamed for failures in Afghanistan,” he said. “Whether it is governance, corruption or disunity within the Afghan government, they have contributed to the challenges.”
Qureshi described Pakistan’s relations with America as “cyclical,” acknowledging that “the last two years in particular have been difficult.”
However, he noted that his visit to the US was aimed at rebuilding that relationship, adding that it is important to strengthen the diplomatic ties between the two countries, as that is the only way to enable them to meet their shared objectives.
