There is no military solution to Afghan conflict, Maleeha tells in UNSC

NEW YORK (92 News) – Participating in the UN Security Council (UNSC) debate on situation in Afghanistan, Pakistani Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict. Malleha Maleeha Lodhi also said that the principles of an eventual agreement seemed to be within grasp. She hoped the suspension of peace talks is only a pause and will resume soon as the alternative is a surge in violence, which could push Afghanistan into an even more turbulent phase. Assuring Pakistan's role as a facilitator of the Afghan peace process, the Pakistani Ambassador said Pakistan had always condemned violence and called for all sides to exercise restraint.

Pakistan urges for early resumption of Afghan peace talks

At the UNSC, the Paksitani envoy has called for an early resumption of Afghan peace process. “The US-Taliban talks – which were suspended over the weekend – would soon resume and open the way towards intra-Afghan negotiations that would lead to a peaceful settlement of the long-drawn conflict in Afghanistan,” she hoped. “Pakistan will remain committed to the peace process out of its belief that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict,” Maleeha Lodhi assured. The Pakistani ambassador said that nine rounds of direct talks between the US and the Taliban had brightened prospects to put in place the first significant foundation of a settlement, raising hope that the parties appeared closer to that goal than at any other time in the past 18 years. Earlier, Pakistan has urged the UNSC to strengthen the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, as tensions have heightened since India revoked the special stratus of the Occupied Kashmir. Speaking at the UN Security Council’s debate on peacekeeping operations, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi said that the efficacy of UNMOGIP has become more consequential due to mounting ceasefire violations on the Line of Control by Indian forces, which necessitates regular and formal reporting to the Council.