Extending support: Pakistan ready to train Afghan National Army, says FM

Bulgarian FM endorses view, says it is premature to judge success in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has renewed its offer to train the Afghan National Army, which would take over the country’s security by 2014 when the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) troops pull out of the war-torn nation.

The offer came from Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at a joint news conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolay Mladenov in Islamabad on Wednesday.

“The transition plan is linked with the capacity of the Afghan National Army to manage the security of the country,” Qureshi said when asked to comment on the ability of the Afghan security forces to handle the challenging job.

He said the 120,000-strong Afghan security force should be trained in a manner so it could effectively take over the responsibilities from Nato forces.

“Pakistan is ready to train the Afghan National Army and its police,” Qureshi said.

The idea of training the Afghan forces was first mooted by the Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Feburary 2010. “If we get more involved with the Afghan National Army, there’s more interaction and better understanding,” General Kayani said. “We have opened all doors ... It’s a win-win for Afghanistan, the US, Isaf and Pakistan,” he said.

However, the Afghan government hasn’t yet responded positively to Pakistan’s proposal.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov endorsed Qureshi’s view that the Afghan National Army should be ready for the daunting task.

Bulgaria is currently part of the Nato forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

“It is premature to judge the success in Afghanistan,” said Mladenov, who is the first foreign minister of his country to visit Pakistan. “Pakistan is not only important for peace in South Asia but for the entire world,” he said.

The Bulgarian foreign minister was of the view that his country was ready to support the Afghan-led reconciliation process including peace-making with the Taliban.

Earlier, the two foreign ministers held detailed discussions on a wide range of issues including bilateral ties between Pakistan and Bulgaria and the current situation in Afghanistan.

The two countries decided to expand and strengthen their bilateral relations in various fields including defence, economy, trade and culture.

Qureshi said both countries would sign an agreement on Thursday to promote economic ties and expand bilateral trade and investment.

He added that both countries have also decided to establish linkages between their universities.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2011.