Pakistan’s Special Envoy\’s visit to Afghanistan, M Sadiq met his Afghan counterpart Omer Daudzai at Presidential Palace in Kabul this Sunday. Matters pertaining to trade, transit, and security were the themes of discussion.
This visit comes two weeks after NA Speaker Asad Qaiser’s trip was cancelled as he could not land in Kabul due to security concerns. Afghan Envoy Daudzai on the occasion gave many positive policy statements that signify a growing relationship between Pakistan & Afghanistan.
Afghan Envoy Daudzai\’s Remarks and Appreciation
Speaking of the occasion with @rtapashto, Daudzai remarked that Pakistan’s policy pertaining to Afghanistan is changing; Pakistan’s recent efforts for peace & cooperation represent that policy towards Afghanistan has already shifted. Since Pakistan has repositioned its policy to geoeconomics from geopolitics, this is an indication of Pakistan’s desire for regional stability. Trade access to CAs is dependent on peace in Afghanistan.
Previously, Pakistan had never talked about geo-economics before which signifies Pakistan’s policy is changing now. This is quite significant. \”I know with certainty that Pakistan put a lot of pressure on the Taliban to attend the Istanbul Conference\”, Daudzai added.
The Afghan Envoy implored Pakistan to support democracy in Afghanistan similar to other regional states. Therefore, Pakistan announced in Moscow that it would not recognize the Taliban Emirate.
President Ghani\’s Remarks
Likewise, President Ghani’s stated that \’harsh words are used when it seems things are not working out well & now we are praising when it’s going well\’. Moreover, Ghani expressed that he would discuss issues that have not been discussed before. The Afghan Government with Pakistan\’s special envoy (M. Sadiq) and the Pakistani delegation will touch upon issues that have not been discussed previously.
He reiterated his concerns for Taliban presence in Pakistan. However, he also conceded to Pakistan’s reservations for anti-Pakistan organizations based in Afghanistan.
\”In issues concerning security, Pakistan did not assist us in the manner we expected. However, we certainly cannot say that Pakistan has not helped at all; they have cooperated with us in this regard\”. The Afghan envoy’s remarks signify a healthy gesture on behalf of Afghans. Decades of misunderstanding have marred mutual issues. The realization of collective insecurities is the only way forward.
Afghan Vice President Saleh Unsatisfied with Pakistan\’s Efforts
As the Afghan envoy gave positive statements, Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh out rightly tried to downplay Pakistan’s efforts in the peace process. His aggressive tweets against Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan may add to frictions during this crucial time.
Amrullah Saleh\’s Twitter statement blatantly calls upon Pakistan as solely responsible for his government failures. Now that the Pakistan delegation is visiting Kabul, such remarks by a state official can hamper the peace process and may denote an intent to derail any emerging cooperation.
Hence, concerns are being raised over the indulgence of such negative elements to spoil the cordial atmosphere by unsubstantiated statements just to wedge differences between two countries and people of two nations.
Such elements must be called out and cornered, or else it will affect the overall efforts of both countries and officials who are trying their best to mitigate the situation in a post-withdrawal scenario of Afghanistan
Shahid Khan is an independent analyst and expert in Af-Pak Affairs, specializing in diplomatic intricacies and international relations pertaining to the Af-Pak region.
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