ISLAMABAD: Turning down India’s invitation to a meeting of the national security advisers (NSA) of key stakeholder countries on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf Tuesday categorically announced he would not visit New Delhi.
Talking to journalists, following a ceremony during which Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a protocol on the establishment of a joint security commission to enhance bilateral cooperation in security-related matters, Moeed Yusuf said, “I will not visit New Delhi on India’s invitation.”
He maintained that Pakistan and Uzbekistan were on the same page on Afghanistan’s issue. Yusuf said that Afghanistan has been at war for the last four decades, adding that the situation in the country had a direct impact on Pakistan.
He maintained that peace and stability in Afghanistan is vital for Pakistan. The national security adviser said that Islamabad gave great importance to the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan corridor. Urging the world to engage with Kabul, Yusuf warned that abandoning Afghanistan will have negative consequences for the entire world.
The world should consider Afghanistan as a humanitarian issue instead of a political matter, he added.
India invites Pakistan, China, Russia to NSA meeting on Afghanistan
Earlier on October 17, in a bid to addresses a humanitarian crisis and discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan, India had reportedly proposed to host a meeting of the national security advisers (NSA) of key stakeholder countries.
New Delhi had proposed two dates – November 10 and 11 – for the NSA meeting, Indian media had reported.
According to a report published in India Today, invitations for the meeting had been extended to key stakeholders in the region, including Russia, China, and Pakistan.
