KABUL - Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammad Mohaqiq has said both Afghanistan and Pakistan are victims of terrorism, urging the two countries to jointly work for improving security and political relations.
Mohaqiq expressed the view at a special ceremony organised for celebrating Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day at the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul on Monday night.
The ceremony was also attended by 1st Deputy CEO Eng. Mohammad Khan, ministers of border and refugee affairs, several lawmakers, representatives of political parties, High Peace Council (HPC) members, civil society activists and Pakistani nationals.
A delegation from Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led by Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, and ambassadors of several countries in Kabul also attended the ceremony.
Mohaqiq, special guest on the occasion, congratulated the Pakistan government and people on behalf of the Afghan government and people on its 70th Independence Day.
Considering the cultural and religious bonds between the two countries, he said the Afghans loved Pakistan’s renowned poet, Allama Mohammad Iqbal, as much as Pakistanis did.
Mohaqiq thanked Pakistan for supporting Afghanistan during jihad against the former Soviet Union and hosting millions of refugees. “Afghanistan would never forget that support from Islamabad,” he said.
He alleged regional and international conspiracies had damaged relations between the neighbours, which should work together to thwart such plots.
Both Afghanistan and Pakistan were victims of terrorism and that was why misunderstandings had increased between the two nations, he said.
Pointing to recent deadly incidents in Kabul and Peshawar, he asked the two countries and the world at large to listen to their voice. He stressed joint efforts to improve security and political relations.
Pakistan Ambassador Zahid Nasrullah Khan welcomed the guests and spoke about historical relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He believed peace in Afghanistan was important for the stability of Pakistan and no one should be allowed to damage their bilateral relations.
More than 350,000 Afghans were offered Pakistani visas for education, medical treatment and business activities last year alone, he said, adding his country also cared for millions of refugees.
Jhagra opined no one could divide the neighbours if they remained on friendly terms. Afghanistan and Pakistan had shared interests and needed to cooperate with each other, he concluded. (Pajhwok)