Pakistan facilitator of Afghan peace process, not guarantor: DG ISPR
Monitoring Desk :
Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Babar Iftikhar has said that Pakistan was a facilitator of the Afghan peace process and not a guarantor. In an exclusive interview with ARY News, the DG ISPR stated that there were a lot of aspects of the Afghan peace process.
“What I can say right now is that the peace process is at a critical stage and everybody understands that,” he said, adding that Pakistan has tried to move the process forward with “sincerity”.
“Of course other stakeholders have been a part of this, but Pakistan has played a key role.”
He stated that Pakistan has played the part of a facilitator in the Afghan peace process. “It is still a facilitator of this peace process, we are not guarantors.”
He said Afghan stakeholders now have to decide how to take the country forward. “We have always maintained that it should be an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and that is what we have continued to strive for.”
‘India’s investments seem to be sinking’
During the interview, Gen Iftikhar said that India’s investments in Afghanistan seemed to be “sinking”, adding that Indian propaganda against Pakistan and its role in the peace process was “not gaining traction”.
He said that India’s frustration with its investment in Afghanistan was evident. “If they had made these investments with sincerity, they would have no need to be frustrated. But because they were concentrating on using Afghanistan to harm Pakistan, they can see their entire investment sinking.”
He said “spoilers” were trying to hold Pakistan responsible for the situation deteriorating in Afghanistan.
