Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday said Pakistan has always been supportive of any initiative to achieve peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

He was addressing the gift awarding ceremony to Afghan students residing in Afghan refugee camps inside Pakistan.

The minister said Islamabad and Kabul have a joint future and there will be no development if there is no peace in Afghanistan.

The Minister said Pakistan and Afghanistan are linked in historic, cultural, and religious ties. He said both countries have a huge potential of bilateral trade and there is a need to enhance economic cooperation for the development of the two sides.

Referring to war against terrorism, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan has cleansed its part of territories from terrorists through efficient operations. He said we are also undertaking measures for better border management to check terrorism. We expect cooperation and better understanding from Afghanistan in this regard, he further added.

The Minister said China is also playing a proactive role for peace, stability, and development of Afghanistan.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said over 50, 000 Afghan students have studied in Pakistani instituions and now they are serving in their own country and contributing in capacity building of Afghanistan. Over 6,000 Afghan students are currently studying in various institutions of Pakistan, he told.

He said Afghan children are as important as Pakistani students are. He said Afghan children will be the ambassador of Pakistan when they will return to their homeland.