Pakistan has high stakes in regional peace and stability, PM Khan tells Afghanistan’s Hekmatyar

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday expressed his best wishes for the successful outcome of the Afghan peace process during his meeting with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Afghan politician and leader of the Hizb-e-Islami faction, while pointing out that Pakistan had the highest stake in the region’s peace and stability, a statement released by the foreign office said.
Hekmatyar twice served as Afghanistan’s prime minister in the 1990’s, and is on a three-day visit to Pakistan where he has met high-profile government functionaries.
Khan underscored the “historic bonds of friendship and brotherhood” between the two neighboring countries and reaffirmed his country’s resolve to foster closer cooperation with Afghanistan.
“The Prime Minister noted that Intra-Afghan Negotiations provided a historic opportunity for the Afghan leadership to establish lasting peace,” said the official handout. “Underlining the positive contribution made by Pakistan in facilitating the Afghan peace process, the Prime Minister hoped that the Afghan parties would work to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.”
The Hizb-e-Islami chief’s visit comes nearly three weeks after a high-profile Afghan official, Abdullah Abdhullah, undertook an official trip to Islamabad.
Khan warned Hekmatyar against the “damaging role of ‘spoilers’, within and outside Afghanistan,” said the statement.
The prime minister also “reaffirmed Pakistan's full support for Afghanistan on the path of reconstruction and economic development and dignified return of Afghan refugees.”
He added that his country would continue to facilitate “people-to-people exchanges, promote Afghan investments, and enhance programs for human resource development and capacity-building of Afghans, especially in the education and health sectors.”
The Afghan politician appreciated Islamabad’s positive role in facilitating the Afghan peace process, said the official statement, adding that he thanked Pakistan for its contribution to Afghanistan's socio-economic development and hosting millions of refugees for over four decades.