Pak hopes Afghan stakeholders work to resolve political crisis

Islamabad, Aug 16 (IANS) Pakistan will continue to support the efforts for political settlement of the Afghan issues and hopes that all sides will work together to resolve their internal political crisis, the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said in a statement.

Pakistan is closely following the unfolding situation in Afghanistan, the statement issued on Sunday said, adding that the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul is extending necessary assistance to Pakistanis, Afghan nationals and diplomats and the international community for consular work, reports Xinhua news agency.

"A special inter-ministerial cell has been established in the Ministry of Interior to facilitate visa/arrival matters for diplomatic personnel, UN agencies, international organisations, media and others," the statement added.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said: "Pak press section in Kabul has received hundreds of visa applications from International media to facilitate their evacuation from Kabul, a special cell has been created to facilitate international media personnel."

At a press briefing in Punjab province on Sunday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the situation is quickly evolving in Afghanistan, and in the current scenario, his country wants a peaceful solution of the Afghan issue through dialogue.

"We want both parties to seek a negotiated political settlement to solve the issue in the best interest of Afghanistan," he added.

The Foreign Minister said that he will contact Afghanistan's neighbouring countries in the coming week as his country wants all regional countries on the same page regarding the Afghan issue.

Talking about his country's stance on the dialogue between the Taliban and the Afghan government on the captivity of Kabul, Qureshi said that Pakistan believes that human lives should be saved and "we are happy that discussion is underway for transition of power".

"Pakistan has been trying to play a role in peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and we will continue making efforts in this direction.

"We want Afghan leadership to make a mature decision to save the life and property of their people," he added.