Afghan President Hamid Karzai will visit Pakistan on August 26 for a one-day trip.
This will be his first visit since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came into office.
Many Afghans believe no serious effort is being undertaken to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries and thus see little point in Karzai’s visit to Pakistan.
This will be Karzai’s last visit as Afghanistan’s president because he cannot run for a third consecutive term in the elections due in nine months. According to diplomats in Islamabad, it will also be Karzai’s 16th visit to the capital in the last 12 years.
Afghan foreign ministry spokesperson Janan Mosazai is hopeful the visit will “open a new chapter” in bilateral relations. “We hope this visit will have a positive outcome, unlike several visits to Pakistan over the years. It should have viable and tangible outcomes in fighting terrorism and specifically on Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process,” he said during a briefing in Kabul on August 11.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday said: “There will be a substantive agenda for talks with the Afghan president, and the regional and post-2014 situation in Afghanistan will also be discussed.”
Some political analysts believe the visit could serve as the last opportunity to resolve differences between the two neighbors. They, however, remain skeptical.
It is important to keep in mind that we cannot have a peaceful region without a peaceful Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are fighting the same terrorists and suffering at the hands of the same terrorists. That’s the reason we’ve been emphasizing cooperation and coordination between the regional partners. The terrorists would love to see us remain tangled in the blame game. The terrorists were busy pushing their deadly agenda forward during the holy month of Ramadan, and even continued their terrorist activities’ during the Eid-ul-Fitr Celebrations. It is important to note that these attacks were conducted on both sides of the border. So, does it make sense to indulge in the blame game when we are making common sacrifices? It only makes sense for us to create a healthy partnership and combine our strength against those who pose a threat to the safety of our nations.
Ali Khan
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