ISLAMABAD: The foreign office of Pakistan said on Thursday India was not a constructive partner for peace in Afghanistan, adding that New Delhi had been playing the role of a spoiler since it did not want peace to return to the neighborhood.
The foreign office made the observation after US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken wrote a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to outline the broader contours of the new American administration’s strategy toward the war-torn country.
Blinken proposed a conference under the auspices of the United Nations to bring together foreign ministers and envoys from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India and the United States to discuss a unified approach toward peace in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan supports the regional process to resolve the Afghan conflict,” said foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri while addressing his weekly news conference in Islamabad. “At the same time, the world must be cognizant of the role of spoilers.”
“Unfortunately,” he added, “India has not been a constructive partner for peace in Afghanistan. It is important to guard against its detrimental role of a spoiler both within and outside Afghanistan since it does not wish to see the return of peace to the region.”
Islamabad has frequently accused New Delhi of using Afghan soil to launch terror attacks in Pakistan.
The foreign office has also maintained on numerous occasions that India has been running dozens of militant training camps in Afghanistan to help several proscribed outfits targeting civilians and security forces in Pakistan.
However, India and Afghanistan both refuse these claims.
The foreign office spokesperson welcomed the US decision to bolster the Afghan peace process and adopt a unified strategy to end conflict in that country.
“We welcome the US efforts to reenergize the peace process and expedite the final political settlement,” Chaudhri said, adding it was important for the Afghan warring factions to continue with the negotiation process and pursue an Afghan-led and -owned peace settlement.
“Pakistan has consistently supported the Afghan peace process,” he continued. “Our positive contribution facilitated the US-Taliban peace agreement and subsequent intra-Afghan negotiations.”