*ISLAMABAD: *
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi reaffirmed on Wednesday Pakistan’scommitment to play a positive role for regional peace and security,including for the Afghan peace process.
During a telephonic conversation with Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavusoglu,FM Qureshi thanked him for Turkey’s consistent and categorical stance onIndian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He said the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised voice for theoppressed Kashmiri people at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly,adding that this gave courage and confidence to the Kashmiri people.
In September, the Turkish president raised the IIOJK issue in his addressto the UNGA, calling for the resolution of the decades-old dispute betweenPakistan and India in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiripeople.
Addressing the 193-member gathering, Erdogan reminded the internationalcommunity that the Kashmir dispute was still a “burning issue”, while theunilateral steps were taken by India on August 5 last year furthercomplicated the problem.
FM Qureshi added that it was a matter of satisfaction that both countriesshared identical views on important regional and international matters.
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The Turkish foreign minister was also appreciative of the steps taken byPakistan for regional peace, including its efforts for peace in Afghanistan.
On October 5, it was reportedlinkthatPakistan had quietly been making efforts for the last several weeks toreach out to all key players in Afghanistan in order to dispel theimpression that it is supporting a particular group.
The recent visit by Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan high peacecouncil, was part of those efforts, said a senior Pakistani official, whois directly involved in such diplomatic manoeuvres.
Dr Abdullah is one of the key figures in Afghanistan, who visited Pakistanafter a long gap of 12 years.
