–PM Imran’s office says Afghan president’s visit would provide opportunity to further focus on political, security, economic and people-to-people contacts
KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said he will visit Pakistan on June 27 to open a new chapter in his country’s relationship with its neighbor and mend ties that are often characterized by mistrust and tit-for-tat accusations.
In his message to mark Eidul Fitr, Ghani said he agreed to visit Prime Minister Imran Khan after the two leaders met last week on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Saudi Arabia.
“I hope the visit will be positive,” Ghani said.
Describing the meeting with PM Imran as “productive”, Ghani maintained that “introductory’ meetings are not required; there should be “practical meetings”.
A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said that PM Imran assured Kabul of Islamabad’s support in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. He also underlined Pakistan’s firm support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for a political solution in Afghanistan,” it read.
“The forthcoming visit of President Ashraf Ghani to Pakistan would provide an opportunity to further focus on political, security, economic and people-to-people aspects of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.”
PM Imran meeting’s with the Afghan president was welcomed by United States Special Representative for the Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad.
In a statement shared on Twitter, Khalilzad said improved ties between Kabul and Islamabad were “key to reaching, implementing & capitalising on opportunities for regional connectivity, integration & development.”
AFGHAN PEACE PROCESS:
The US envoy is on a mission to expedite the Afghan peace process as the war in the war-torn country enters its 19th year. He has held a series of meetings with the Pakistani leadership as part of Washington’s renewed push to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table.
The latest push for peace came after President Donald Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking Pakistan’s help for the negotiated settlement of the Afghan conflict.
Although both the US and Pakistan now have a commonality of views on seeking a political solution to the Afghan problem, the trust deficit between the two is the real stumbling block. Relations between the two countries are tense despite recent efforts to reset the troubled ties.
At the heart of their stalemate is the US insistence on Pakistan to do more to bring the Afghan Taliban on to the negotiating table. Washington still believes that Islamabad holds considerable sway over the insurgent group.
The three-day parleys were attended by representatives of the Afghan Taliban, the US as well as officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
It was the first time that the Taliban’s military and political leaders attended a negotiation – something that has renewed hopes of a possible peace deal. Previously, the Taliban were only represented by their political office in Qatar.
The presence of the Taliban leaders like Mullah Amir Mutaqi, Qari Yahya, Mullah Mohibullah Hamas and Mullah Abbas Akhund at the UAE talks suggests the seriousness of the insurgent group towards the latest round of discussions facilitated by Pakistan.
