ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan has tried its level best for a political solution in Afghanistan.

Interacting with the Afghan media representatives here on Thursday, he reiterated there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict. He stressed that an inclusive government is the only solution for peace and stability in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister regretted the accusatory statements that recently emanated from Afghanistan against Pakistan. He said no country has tried as hard as Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the table of negotiations.

He said Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan to access the Central Asian countries. He said we have signed an agreement with Uzbekistan for a railway project through Afghanistan. The Prime Minister said if there is a civil war in Afghanistan, it will almost spill over to Pakistan’s tribal areas. This is the last thing we want as Pakistan has already lost seventy thousand people in the war on terrorism.

He said there are already three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and given our economic conditions, we cannot afford to have another influx of refugees. Imran Khan made it clear that Pakistan has no favourites in Afghanistan and not following the policy of strategic depth any more.

To a question, the Prime Minister said we have built a fence along the border with Afghanistan at a huge cost to stop outflow and inflow into Pakistan. Ninety percent work has been completed on it. He said what the Taliban are doing has nothing to do with us. He said Pakistan is not responsible for their actions.

When asked about the future relationship with Afghanistan, the Prime Minister expressed the confidence that once the situation calms down there, we will have the best of relationship. He said this relationship will get stronger with each passing year. He said both countries need each other and it will be a mutually beneficial relationship.

To a question, the Prime Minister said India took away the statehood of illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir through illegal steps of 5th August 2019. He said there are UN resolutions which accept the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people. He said we will not sit with India until it restores the statehood of the disputed territory. Imran Khan regretted that India today is being controlled by RSS ideology which is anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim.

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