Pakistan on Wednesday issued a statement welcoming the commencement of the second round of Intra Afghan Negotiations in Doha. The Foreign Office (FO) expressed pleasure over the significant progress, made by the Afghan government and Taliban, by finalizing the rules and procedures last month.

In the statement, the FO said that |the year 2020 witnessed substantial progress towards peace in Afghanistan, with a number of positive developments including the conclusion of U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement on 29 February 2020, the start of intra-Afghan Negotiations on 12 September 2020, and agreement on Rules and Procedures on 2 December 2020, which paved the way for meaningful progress in the peace talks. We remain hopeful that the year 2021 will witness the dawn of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan."

The FO added that Pakistan "calls upon both sides to remain constructively engaged and show flexibility in the negotiations for reaching an inclusive, broad-based, and comprehensive political settlement that would lead to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan."

In the press release, FO also mentioned that Pakistan's efforts for regional peace have been recognized by all sides and the international community.

"We strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict and that the only way forward is a negotiated political solution through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. Pakistan, on its part, would continue to extend all possible support for the Afghan peace process."