'Direct approach should be given preference' for resolving bilateral issues than involving US: Pak tells Afghanistan

Afghanistan should resolve its bilateral issues with Pakistan directly rather than involving the United States, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday, referring to the joint declaration between US and the Afghan government which said that Washington commits to facilitating discussions between Kabul and Islamabad.

"They (Afghanistan) should realise that the United States is planning to withdraw from Afghanistan and we (Pakistan) will always remain neighbours. So, a direct approach should be given preference to," Qureshi said in an interview to a news agency, as shared in a report by Dawn.

"You know if I have an issue with Afghanistan, I will not ask Washington to play a role. I will speak to Kabul directly," he added.

Qureshi's statement came a day after a part of a joint US-Afghan declaration on peace efforts stated that Washington commits to facilitate discussions between Afghanistan and Pakistan " to work out arrangements to ensure neither country's security is threatened by actions from the territory of the other side."

Qureshi said that Pakistan has done its best to bridge the trust deficit between Afghanistan and his country.

"My very first visit as the Foreign Minister was to Kabul, just to reassure them how important Afghanistan is for Pakistan because if we want peace and stability in Pakistan, we feel that there is a direct linkage between peace in Afghanistan and peace in Pakistan," Qureshi said.

As per the joint declaration released on Saturday, the US would withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan within 14 months. The plan is subject to the Taliban's fulfillment of its commitments under the US-Taliban agreement.

The declaration was released on the same day when the US and Taliban signed the historic peace deal aimed at ending the nearly 19-year-long war in Afghanistan.