ISALAMBAD - Pakistan has expressed reservations over the proposed draft of the declaration of the upcoming Istanbul Conference on Afghanistan, which may complicate international efforts for evolving a consensus on the document.
The conference, slated for November 2, is expected to discuss transition in Afghanistan, reconciliation with Afghan insurgent groups and regional economic cooperation.
"Pakistan attaches great importance to this conference. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will lead the Pakistan Delegation to the conference," Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said at her weekly media briefing.
Two preparatory sessions held in Oslo and Kabul for achieving an agreement on the desired outcome of the Istanbul Conference could not bridge the differences, the Dawn reported.
The issues were reportedly also raised with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Islamabad last week, it added.
"It is important that unity of purpose and the region's support for Afghanistan must be ensured through "consensus decision making"," Janjua told reporters while talking about the forthcoming conference.
"The existing regional organizations and arrangements may also be urged to prioritize support in their respective domains for achieving the afore-stated objectives of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan in a stable, peaceful and prosperous region," she added.
The most critical difference revolves around a proposal for setting up a 'regional structure' on Afghanistan and the neighboring region, the report quoted a Pakistani diplomat, as saying.
The regional group is proposed to include over a dozen countries in Afghanistan's immediate and broader neighborhood in addition to the United States, the report said.
Pakistan believes that existing mechanisms are adequate to hold consultations on Afghanistan and any attempt to impose a 'super-structure' or 'an additional architecture' can be counter-productive, particularly in view of some complex regional dynamics, more specifically the Indo-Pakistan rivalry, it added. (ANI)