Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Afghanistan should decide if it was willing to live in peace or not, amid strained ties between the two countries following last year's deadly border clashes.
Addressing a national workshop here, Prime Minister Shehbaz also talked about the suspension of trade between the two countries and alleged failure of Kabul to stop militants from using its soil.
“This time, it must be decided whether Afghanistan wants to live peacefully or not… They are our brothers and sisters. If the interim Afghan government does not have an interest in this (peace with Pakistan), they should at least have mercy on its people and not oppress them,” he said.
He blamed the Afghan government for the suspension of trade between the two sides, saying Kabul's failure to act against terrorists operating from its soil was the reason. "There is a complete blockade of Pak-Afghan trade. It should not have been there, but they forced us," the premier said.
Pakistan closed down the border for trade after deadly clashes with Afghanistan in October last year, and several rounds of talks failed to improve ties.
Shehbaz said that more than four million Afghan refugees lived and prospered by doing business in Pakistan, but the Afghan Taliban government failed to cherish the hospitality shown towards its people.
“It is our neighbouring country, we have to live forever […] what is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan, and vice versa,” he said.
He further said that Pakistan did no favour to the Afghan people but fulfilled its responsibilities. “But the way they are paying us back is very upsetting,” he said.
Talking about the 2020 Doha Accords, he said that it was “very clear” that Afghanistan would control terrorists and would not allow any terrorist to operate from its territory.
The prime minister said that in various meetings held with Afghan leaders, the Afghan side “did not adhere to a single one of our recommendations.” “We had only one demand that you commit to rein in all terrorist outfits and proxies, whether it is the TTP, BLA, or the resources provided to them" by outside, he said. “Unfortunately, they did not make any serious commitment.” He said that terrorism had been completely eradicated in 2018, but it made a comeback, blaming the policies of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf that came to power in 2019.
“Numerous terrorists were released from Swat, and thousands of people were brought from Afghanistan to live in Pakistan. This was the main reason terrorism resurged in the country,” he said.
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