Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has expressed his hope for a cordial relationship with Pakistan under the administration of the newly-elected Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.
In an interview with BBC, Karzai said, “I can tell you that when I was in the last year of my office, I had an excellent relationship with Mian Nawaz Sharif, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, who I found to be very willing to engage fruitfully with Afghanistan. I hope that Shehbaz Sharif [Nawaz’s brother] would follow the same path.”
“Afghan people would respond to them very very positively. We do wish a good relationship with Pakistan.”
Responding to the airstrikes [allegedly made by Pakistan] in bordering Khost province, the former president condemned the airstrikes and termed it clear violations of Afghan sovereignty.
He called the recent attacks on Afghan education institutions as an “attack against Afghanistan’s efforts for educating its young, its peace and movement towards stability and progress.” Hamid Karzai emphasised the need for allowing girls above sixth grade to return to school.
Hamid Karzai has served as the President of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. He still lives in the country under the the rule of Taliban who gained power in August 2021.