Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday reiterated his stance on a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Afghanistan, insisting that no one wants the region or anywhere else to become a “hotbed or launching pad for terrorist attacks”. become
FM Bilawal gave an interview to an Indonesian television channel and said that we hope that the one-year Afghan interim government will not only address the problem of terrorism but also provide security because it is the basic condition for peace and prosperity. .
This statement of the foreign minister has come two days after the Afghan border forces fired unprovoked and indiscriminately on a civilian area in Balochistan’s Chaman. Six civilians were killed and 17 injured in this attack.
Despite the tense situation on Pakistan’s western borders, FM Bilawal said that Pakistanis and Afghans are neighbors and will remain neighbors. He further said that peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest.
Foreign Minister of Pakistan @BBhuttoZardari’s interview with Metro Globe Network https://t.co/jUvW3eBCFP
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) December 13, 2022
The minister said that a stable and prosperous country need not worry about mass exodus of refugees, terrorism and related threats. FM Bilawal hoped that regional stability would also create economic opportunities for Pakistan and Afghans.
He also highlighted the role of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar’s recent one-day visit to Kabul in November to meet the country’s interim government led by the Taliban.
The foreign minister said Khar had “productive and meaningful engagements” with Afghan interim government officials on a range of issues, most notably terrorism.
A high-level delegation led by the Minister of State held talks with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended a months-long ceasefire with Pakistan.
Emphasizing that the lives of the Afghan people are constantly revolved around war and conflict, he urged the world to meaningfully engage with them and their generational exhaustion of their painful experiences. Highlighted
FM Bilawal also emphasized the need for global support and inclusion for Afghans.
Bilateral relations with Indonesia
The foreign minister emphasized on increasing bilateral economic cooperation between Pakistan and Indonesia in various fields and pointed to the wide scope of cooperation between the two Muslim countries.
Talking about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed for the establishment of the Joint Ministerial Commission, he said that there are more possibilities in economic and bilateral relations between the two countries which need to be opened up.
“I believe the sky is the limit and a lot can be changed,” he said, expressing his desire to increase bilateral economic cooperation and people-to-people contacts between the citizens of the two countries.
The minister observed that the two countries are already cooperating at multilateral forums including OIC, ASEAN, United Nations, G77 and other international bodies.
Commenting on dealing with terrorism, FM Bilawal said that both Pakistan and Indonesia can learn from each other’s experiences. They offered to work together on issues including hatred, division, extremism and terrorism that fuel international Islamophobia.
Reiterating her commitment to women’s empowerment and educational opportunities, the minister said that Pakistan would continue to advocate for such causes at the international level and would continue to remind that the country is the first Muslim country where a A woman served as Prime Minister.
