KABUL on Friday promised continued support for the Afghan-led reconciliation process, saying Islamabad had a vested interest in regional stability.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office told a weekly news briefing in Islamabad Pakistan would press on with sincere efforts for the success of the Afghan reconciliation drive.
According the news agency Associated Press of Pakistan, Tasnim Aslam hoped that 2014 — when foreign combat troops would leave the country — would prove the year of peace and stability in Afghanistan.
She recalled a recent meeting between a delegation of the High Peace Council Abdul Ghani Baradar, characterising it as an example of Pakistan’s support for Afghan reconciliation.
Aslam said a US military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014 was not yet certain. Afghanistan being a sovereign country reserved the right to take any decision it deemed beneficial.
She also backed Afghanistan’s preparations for the April presidential and provincial council elections, hoping the polls would be transparent and lead to strengthening democracy in the country.
“Pakistan will not change its policy on (CIA-operated) drone attacks,” she said in response to a query about the unilateral US strikes in the tribal region near the Afghanistan border.
Drones attacks were unacceptable in that they violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity, she remarked, reiterating Islamabad’s stance that such incidents were counterproductive.
PAN Monitor/mud
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