Peaceful Afghanistan can open the door to prosperity: President of Pakistan-News

Pakistani President Dr. Arif Alvi stated that peace in Afghanistan will bring prosperity to the region and open a window of business opportunities for the world to establish contacts with Central Asian countries through this war-torn country.

During the two-day visit to the UAE, the President said in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times that Pakistan hopes that Afghanistan will achieve peace because this will have a positive impact on the country and the entire region.

“The destruction of Afghanistan means more Pakistani refugees. We don’t want any instability in our neighboring countries, and we want to see an’inclusive government’ that represents all political stakeholders,” said Dr. Alvi.

To dispel the impression that Islamabad has always supported regime change, he said that Pakistan is not an active participant in Afghanistan.

“We are only helping the Taliban for humanitarian reasons, because Afghans are suffering due to sanctions and funding blockades. There are funds to fly from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Therefore, it is in our interest to bring stability to the country,” he said.

Dr. Alvi called the U.S. withdrawal a “hurried appeal” and said there is no military solution in Afghanistan. “We have been trying to persuade the United States to avoid war and support negotiations as a better solution. If the United States and NATO troops cannot bring stability to Afghanistan at a cost of $2.3 trillion, how will Pakistan do it? ?” the President asked.

Dr. Alvi said that Pakistan has taken in 4 million refugees and emphasized that this gesture must be regarded as the goodwill of the Afghan people.

He said: “We have also played a very active and active role in the repatriation of diplomats and other personnel from Afghanistan, and the whole world recognizes our efforts.”

Rising inflation

President Alvi stated that global inflation is rising, and Pakistan is not the only country in the world facing this challenge.

“The inflation rate is high because commodity and oil prices are rising in the international market. However, the government will take measures to control food inflation through supply chain mechanisms and good governance,” he said.

When answering questions, he said that the country is on the right track and the future is bright.

“The government took the right steps at the right time to overcome the severe challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, job creation and economic revitalization. Despite the pandemic, we managed to achieve nearly 4% of GDP in the last fiscal year Growth rate,” he said.

We have to go to Expo 2020

Regarding Expo 2020 Dubai, the President stated that it is a wonderful event. Despite the challenging global environment, all the credit goes to the visionary leadership for successfully organizing the exhibition.

“The Expo 2020 is a landmark event not only for the UAE but for the entire region. It provides countries in the region and other regions with a unique opportunity to establish connections and partnerships with multinational companies,” the president said.

“We have a very beautiful pavilion at the World Expo. I suggest that everyone should pass away at the Expo and must visit the pavilion that showcases the positive image of Pakistan as a peaceful country,” the president said.

Dr. Alvi also expressed his grief over the tragic death of nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, who died in Islamabad on Sunday morning at the age of 85.

“He helped us develop nuclear deterrence to save the country, and a grateful country will never forget his contribution in this regard,” he said.

muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com

Muzaffar Rizvi

The business editor/news editor of Khaleej Times is a well-connected reporter and economic and financial commentator. Since 1997, he has been engaged in mainstream journalism, covering the UAE’s economy and key sectors. He has a graduate degree in economics and has won many awards for his true and insightful reports on global and regional business and economic trends.