by Shafqat Ali

 

DUSHANBE, March 31 (Gwadar Pro) – The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was open with beneficial prospects for Afghanistan, said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday.

 

FM called for a united approach by regional countries to help restore the prosperity of the Afghan people when addressing at the ninth Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) Ministerial Conference in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan. 

 

Qureshi said, Pakistan opened five border crossings to facilitate travellers and trade from Afghanistan despite the pandemic. Pakistan has also activated the Gwadar port for Afghan transit trade, he added.

 

Qureshi said Pakistan was keen to move forward on regional connectivity and energy projects such as CASA-1000 and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline and mentioned that the Trans-Afghan railway project connecting Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan was being pursued to promote trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

 

Qureshi termed the Heart of Asia Process an important platform to bring together partners and supporting countries who wanted to achieve the common goals of peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.

 

 For Pakistan, he said, Afghanistan was an important neighbour and brotherly country with strong historical ties. “Pakistan desires peace and development in Afghanistan more than any other nation,” he said.

 

Qureshi said as part of the efforts to engage extensively with Afghan leaders, Pakistan consistently called for constructive dialogue and engagement to achieve positive results.

 

The minister proposed a number of steps towards Afghan peace including an immediate ceasefire to reduce violence, financial assistance by the international community for post-conflict development, long-term planning for Afghanistan’s economic development and creating a conducive environment for Afghan refugees to return home with dignity.

 

The foreign minister mentioned that besides facilitating the peace process, Pakistan was providing all possible assistance to Afghanistan and had already pledged one billion dollars for its development and reconstruction.

 

The 9th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) Ministerial moot is being attended by participants of 15 countries of the region, 16 supporting States and 12 regional and international organizations.