Pakistan tells Afghanistan it has no favourites

Pakistan has said that Islamabad has no favourites in Afghanistan and will follow the priorities that Kabul determines for pursuing peace and reconciliation.

Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz made the remarks to an unofficial Afghan delegation in Islamabad on Friday, reports the Express Tribune.

He also welcomed the recently signed peace deal between the Afghanistan Government and the Gulbuddin Hekmatyar led Hizb-e-Islami, a militant group in Afghanistan.

Aziz said that the agreement seems to have motivated and encouraged other groups to join talks, adding, "These groups should realise that it is a different Afghanistan that wants peace."

The adviser said Pakistan's message to all the combatants is loud and clear that nobody can capture Afghanistan on its own, and the key to peace lies in talks.

"We desire that both the government and the Taliban sort out issues among themselves.we will support them," he said and added that Pakistan was undertaking efforts to persuade all Taliban factions to become part of the peace process.

Pakistan has long been criticized by Afghanistan for its policy of differentiating between 'good' terrorists, whom it uses for its proxy wars and 'bad' terrorists, who threaten the security of the state.