Pakistani Prime Minister welcomes Afghan peace talks' decision

Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, on Wednesday welcomed the decision of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and renewed his country's support to the reconciliation process.

Sharif's remarks came a day after senior Afghan, Chinese, U.S. and Pakistani diplomats agreed to facilitate the Taliban-Kabul talks by the first week of March.

Pakistan has agreed to host the talks, according a joint statement issued at the conclusion of a day-long meeting in Kabul on Tuesday.

"The decision of talks between Afghan government and Taliban is a positive signal for the peace process," the Pakistani Prime Minister told an Afghan parliamentary delegation at his office in Islamabad.

The quadrilateral meeting called upon all the Taliban groups and Hizb-e-Islami party of former Prime Minister, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, to join the process. Both have not yet made any decision.

"Afghanistan must have an environment where Afghan migrants return back to their country with respect, honor and dignity on the right time," a statement from the PM's office said.

He expressed his hope that Pakistan's engagement in sincere and consistent efforts for promoting peace and reconciliation through an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process would bring lasting peace in Afghanistan.

The Quadrilateral Coordination Group has been making good progress in right direction, the Prime Minister noted with satisfaction and also offered help to Afghanistan in its infrastructure development.

Pakistan believes that terrorism is a common enemy and Pakistan and Afghanistan need to work together to rid the two countries of this menace, Nawaz Sharif emphasized.

Afghan parliamentary Speaker, Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, said that friends of Afghanistan are friends of Pakistan and enemies of Afghanistan are enemies of Pakistan.

He also said Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif's stand is very clear and his policy and vision is appreciable towards peace process, the PM office statement said.

Ibrahimi, speaker of the "Wolesi Jirga" or the National Assembly, arrived in Islamabad on a four-day visit as the head of a 12-member MPs delegation for talks to boost parliament-to-parliament cooperation.

The Afghan delegation on Wednesday witnessed proceedings of the Pakistan's National Assembly and also held talks with Pakistani lawmakers.