The meeting attended by high=ranking officials and senior lawmakers convened under the Chairmanship of Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday at the parliament house.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf briefed the Senate panel on government's stance on the situation in the region, including developments in Afghanistan and relations with neighbors and other countries.
The chairman and members of the committee, expressing concern over the escalation of situation in Afghanistan and its consequences for neighboring countries, especially the influx of refugees stressed to be prepared to deal with any untoward situation, especially the issue of refugees, adding that Islamabad should benefit from Tehran's experience in this regard.
Referring to a two-day meeting of Afghan groups, including Taliban in Tehran and the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help resolve the crisis in the neighboring country, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said Tehran's initiative is another sign of American defeat in Afghanistan.
In response to a question from representatives of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Foreign Minister said we have an excellent relationship with Iran and border markets have been established on the Pakistani side to improve trade ties between the two sides.
He said that "we are in contact with Iran on Afghanistan and we believe that we can never ignore the vital role of Tehran for peace and stability in the region".
Pakistan's foreign minister added that Islamabad is determined to work closely with Tehran. "Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif played a commendable role in developing relations between the two countries, and we look forward to work with the new Iranian government and its new foreign minister."
He also announced his upcoming trips to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and some Central Asian countries for bilateral and multilateral consultations on regional stability, especially developments in Afghanistan, and said that Islamabad hoped for positive results from bilateral and multilateral meetings to help the Afghan crisis.
Speaking during the meeting, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf said that they want the end of violence in Afghanistan in order to prevent any fall out of it on Pakistan.
He further warned that if refugee influx was not stopped then it could lead to the arrival of TTP elements in Pakistan in their guise. “"The situation in Afghanistan is going out of our hands," NSA Moeed Yusuf said.
He said Pakistan is ready at the border and "we call upon the international institutions, especially the United Nations, to be prepared to deal with the challenge of more refugees in the country".
The intra-Afghan dialogue was hosted by the Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday and Thursday this week with the participation of representatives of the Afghan government, senior figures and the Taliban High Political Committee.
It is worth mentioning that the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was led by former Foreign Minister Younis Qanuni and the head of the Taliban delegation was Abbas Stanikzai, the deputy head of the group's office.
272**2050
Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish