Border fencing issue to be resolved through talks, diplomatic channels: FM Qureshi

The FM said he was hopeful that the issue would be resolved through diplomatic channels, talks

MULTAN (Dunya News) – Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said that the government has received positive response from Afghan authorities to resolve border fencing issue through diplomatic channels.

The foreign minister expressed these views while addressing a press conference along with Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar and PTI’s Chief Whip in National Assembly Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar at Raza hall in Multan.

Border fencing was in the interest of both Pakistan and Afghanistan to regulate and facilitate trade and regulate movement through border so that unscrupulous elements do not get any opportunity to misuse Afghanistsan or Pakistan’s land for their nefarious designs.

“It was meant to regulate movement across the border through visa and we are moving forward to that end,” he added.

Qureshi said, 94 to 95 per cent work has been completed on the border fencing and country suffered difficulties, hurdles and martyrdoms in the way.

The foreign minister said that he was hopeful that the issue would be resolved through diplomatic channels, talks.

“There were some incidents that we have taken up with the Afghan authorities, our talks were ongoing and they have given a positive response,” the FM said.

“We must not forget there are spoilers who do not wish to see the exemplary friendly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan moving forward. They do create hurdles and would continue with it but we will thwart their nefarious plans.”

He said that while on way to muster up support from international community to help Afghan people facing crisis situation, Pakistan has recently contacted neighbours of Afghanistan and established a new platform titled ‘The Immediate Neighbours of Afghanistan’ adding that its first meeting took place in Islamabad, another in Tehran and the third meeting was scheduled to take place in China in February.

Qureshi said, Pakistan had been making strenuous efforts in raising the serious issue of humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan at different forums adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan advocated the case of Afghan people at the United Nations while he himself talked to foreign ministers of different countries to initiate a global effort to save Afghan people from troubles.

This resulted into an extraordinary meeting of around 30 OIC countries’ Foreign Ministers and deputy foreign ministers on Dec 19 last year, after around four decades.

Special representatives from European Union, Canada, Germany, Australia and other important countries also attended the meeting that was organized with the sole objective of saving Afghan population including children, women from the food crisis and extreme cold and address their other troubles.

“By the grace of Almighty, we were able to get a special OIC trust formed under Islamic Development Bank, a special envoy of OIC dedicated to Afghanistan was nominated, we diverted international community’s attention towards Afghan humanitarian crisis and then at UN Security Council USA moved a resolution that was adopted to soften sanctions on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.”

Humanitarian assistance would soon start reaching Afghanistan and the first consignment of aid announced by Pakistan has reached the neighbouring country, Qureshi said.