New Delhi (Sputnik) — Islamabad will not be part of any internal conflict in war-torn Afghanistan anymore, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Thursday amid ongoing Afghanistan peace process.
The statement holds significance as it indicates Islamabad is not happy with the confrontational approach of Kabul and the dealing of peace process by the US which has been making efforts to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan at the earliest.
READ MORE: Pakistan Not to Participate in Doha Talks With Taliban and US — Foreign Ministry
"It is not right to seek an edge in dialogue through coercion. Pakistan implores all parties to recognise the importance of the moment and seize it. Pakistan has committed all diplomatic and security capital to success of peace process," said a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, according to report in Pakistani Daily The Dawn.
"Pakistan has committed all diplomatic and security capital to success of [the] peace process. Pakistan will not be party to any internal conflict in Afghanistan anymore," it added.
Khan's statement came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a remark criticised the US holding talks with the Taliban, saying the US push for a deal with the extremists was "seriously wrong".
"An attempt to exclude everybody and just talk to the Taliban has alienated the government, has alienated the region, has alienated everybody else and it achieved nothing, as you've seen from the statement that came from the Taliban," Zarif reportedly said at the Asia Society in New York which he was visiting to participate in a UN session.
US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who has met with the Afghan Taliban on several occasions and has pressed for Afghan-to-Afghan talks, is scheduled to visit Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Qatar, as well as Russia and United Kingdom, for further talks beginning from Monday.
READ MORE: Afghan Envoy to Return to Islamabad After Pakistan's Explanations — Ministry
Khan also expressed dismay over the rising number of deaths after Taliban had announced "Spring Offensive" earlier this month.
Pakistan Prime Minister also condemned the spring offensive, saying: "Pakistan is highly dismayed by the surge of violence in Afghanistan from all sides. The so called offensives are condemnable and will undermine the peace process."
