PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Amid the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, Pakistan is increasingly concerned about a security vacuum in the neighbouring country.
Bleak prospects for reconciliation between warring Afghan groups are becoming even dimmer with each passing day, officials believe.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday urged the Afghan groups to seize this historic opportunity and work out an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.
At a meeting with Wolesi Jirga Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani in Islamabad, Qureshi underlined the imperative of durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region at large.
Pakistani sources, meanwhile, expressed pessimism about a breakthrough in the next round of intra-Afghan negotiations beginning in a couple of days.
They said fears about a possible security vacuum essentially stemmed from the deadlock in the peace process, escalating militant-linked violence and the ongoing pullout of US troops.
Earlier in the week, US Central Command said in a statement that American forces have completed up to 44pc of the withdrawal process.
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