KABUL: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said here Wednesday that her country wants to have deep and long-standing relations with Afghanistan.
"The intention of my visit here was to give a very strong message to Kabul about Pakistan’s desire to have a long-standing deep relationship with Afghanistan," Khar told a joint press conference with her Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rasoul.
This is her first visit to Afghanistan as foreign minister amid strain in Kabul-Islamabad relations and Kabul’s efforts to seek peace talks with Taliban.
During her one-day visit she also allayed Afghan government’s concerns, saying Pakistan does not have any secret agenda in Afghanistan.
"Pakistan stands for Afghanistan’s independence, Pakistan stands for Afghanistan’s unity, and in this regard, any threat to Afghanistan’s unity and integrity is a threat against Pakistan," she said.
She also expressed Islamabad’s firm support to Afghan peace process and Afghan-led national reconciliation program.
"I have brought a strong message to Kabul and to the world that Pakistan would stand behind any initiatives for peace," she said. "Pakistan supports any peace efforts that should be Afghan- led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-backed".
She also held meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and exchanged views on bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries.
She invited Karzai to visit Pakistan and attend the summit of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan slated for this month.
Meanwhile, Khar dismissed a leaked classified NATO document accusing Pakistani security services of helping Taliban return to power after NATO-led forces withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014.
She said allegations in the report were "old wine in an even older bottle".
Her visit came after Taliban announced last month it would open a political office in Qatar to bring a negotiated end to the Afghan conflict.
Speaking at the press conference, Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasoul linked the success of peace efforts with Islamabad’s support, saying "No peace efforts will deliver without Pakistan’s honest support". Online
