A time-bound and well-resourced roadmap for return of the Afghan refugees with dignity and honour should form part of the future Afghan settlement deal, Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Monday.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said this while meeting with US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad.
Qureshi welcomed the progress in US-Taliban talks which he said were nearing fruition.
“Pakistan believed that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan was essential for regional peace, economic development and connectivity,” Qureshi said.
Around three million Afghans live in Pakistan.
The US has reached agreement with the Taliban on a week-long reduction of violence that could lead to a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
A two-day conference began in Islamabad on Tuesday, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Khalilzad, highlighting the need for international support to reintegrate Afghan refugees and to help Pakistan and Iran shoulder the load.
