Pakistan on Sunday said the next phase of Intra-Afghan Negotiations enters a critical phase when talks resume on January. 
Pakistan foreign office said in a statement that
“Afghan negotiations enter an important and critical phase from 5 January 2021, the negotiators will be focusing on the substantive issues relating to a comprehensive future political settlement.” 
“In this delicate phase of the Intra-Afghan Negotiations, it is important for the negotiating parties to avoid accusations and to demonstrate wisdom, sagacity and vision for the larger objective of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” read the statement.
The office once again reiterated its “firm commitment” for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and said it is concerned about “some negative comments, which continue to emanate from certain official as well as unofficial Afghan circles.”
The spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, said that playing a public blame game was detrimental to the Afghan peace process.
“Public blame game was detrimental to the Afghan peace process as well as to the shared efforts for enhancing bilateral cooperation,” the statement read.
His comments comes two days after first vice president Amrullah Saleh spoke at an even in Kabul and said that the Afghan government “will not ignore the sovereignty of the people in the peace process.”
“We will never ignore our achievements, if we ignored them, peace would come tomorrow. The leadership should be determined by the people, not the Quetta Shura and other shuras.” Saleh told the gathering. 
Meanwhile, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Friday in a statement said that Taliban’s presence in Pakistan is a clear violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
According to the MoFA the Taliban’s presence in Pakistan will cause the continuation of the crisis and instability in the region and will challenge the efforts to ensure lasting peace in Afghanistan.
The MoFA also called on Pakistan to not allow insurgents to use Pakistan’s soil against Afghanistan.
Following the first VP and Afghan foreign ministry’s remarks, the Pakistan foreign office’s spokesman said that they are concerned about negative comments from the Afghan side.
“While Pakistan’s efforts are acknowledged and appreciated by the Afghan society and the international community, we are concerned about some negative comments which continue to emanate from certain official as well as unofficial Afghan circles,” Chaudhri said in a statement.
Apparently in reference to Saleh’s recent comments regarding Pakistan and Taliban, Chaudhri emphasized that it was important to underline the need for Afghan government to take pro-active measures to fulfill its responsibility for internal security, law and order and protection of Afghan lives.
“Pakistan stands ready to extend all possible cooperation in the area of security and effective border management through effective institutional collaboration,” Chaudhri said.
The Foreign Office spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan had also continued to express its deep concern at the increasing level of violence in Afghanistan during the current year. Prime Minister Imran Khan, on several occasions, has reiterated his calls for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire, he added.
Chaudhri said Pakistan desired and continued to support a peaceful, stable, united, independent, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan.
“It is important that Afghans should seize this historic opportunity for reaching an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement to bring an end to the decades-long internal conflict in Afghanistan,” the spokesperson added. (ATN)