PESHAWAR, May 1 (TNS): Pakhtuns want peace and prosperity in Pakistan and Afghanistan, says a senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Afghan media reported on Tuesday.
If the current situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan was not controlled, a third world war could not be ruled out, the ANP central general secretary warned.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, addressing a news conference in the border town of Landikotal, urged the neighbours to amend their foreign policies to restore peace in the region.
Supporters of mujahideen are now branding them as terrorists, remarked the former information minister of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The United States had created Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State, to vanquish the Taliban and achieve its interests in Pakistan and Afghanistan, he alleged.
Mian Iftikhar said: “Russia, China and the US are fighting in Afghanistan, with Pakhtuns on both sides of the border becoming victims of their war.”
Pakistan was their motherland and Afghanistan was the land of their forefathers, the ex-minister said, underscoring Pakhtuns’ desire for peace and prosperity in both countries.
He slammed restrictions on the Torkham border, saying the harsh measures had crippled trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
If Afghanistan found an alternative route to India and Central Asia, Pakistani markets would collapse, Iftikhar said, signaling ANP’s willingness to help defuse tension between Islamabad and Kabul.
Courtesy: Pajhwok
