UK's veiled warning to Pakistan over bid to influence outcome of Afghan peace efforts
Islamabad, May 27ANI: Pakistan should hope not only for its own prosperity, but also for the whole South Asian region and the world, as it is better to live with the rest of the world than to seek Afghanistan's alignment on any side, the UK's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mark Sedwill, has said. Briefing media persons here the British High Commission in Islamabad following his meetings with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Secretary General for President Salman Farooqui, Sedwill said that he had conveyed this special message from the British government to the concerned Pakistani quarters with utmost clarity and with the hope that they fully grasp it. Sedwill, who is on his first ever visit to Pakistan after getting the position, said that since various channels of communications are open with Taliban and no single entity is in full knowledge of these talks, therefore, all options, like giving amnesty to black-listed Taliban or letting them open office in Turkey, etc, are on the table, provided the Taliban leadership responds to these good gesture in kind and in time. He was very categorical in elaborating a point that the Afghan solution has to come from within Afghanistan under the umbrella of the United Nations, and that no country, including Pakistan, should hope that it could influence any particular outcome in this regard, the Daily Times reports. As India has endorsed the proposed reconciliation plan with Taliban, Pakistan should also join forces with the international forces to ensure that stability is brought to this war-torn country, so that not only Pakistan, but also the entire region and the world can benefit from this, Sedwill said. "Paramount issue is the stability of Afghanistan, not its alignment," he emphasised while responding to a query regarding the prospect of the Pakistani establishment getting its nose in the affairs and the ultimate settlement of Afghanistan, once the NATO and allied forces pull out. Eventual happenings in Afghanistan will not only have an impact on the UK and the US, but more so on Pakistan, he said, asserting that Pakistan is the only country which has lost more than 30,000 civilians and over 5000 military men in the fight against terror, a figure ten times higher than any other country in the world. Therefore, "I have tried to convey to the top leadership of the country to help international community ensure stability in Afghanistan, so that not only UK becomes secure, but even Pakistan and the region can live in peace and prosperity," Sedwill said. ANI
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