Pak-Afghan relations: Joining hands to promote peace

Proposal for association to promote cross-border partnership.

ISLAMABAD:

Representatives from Pakistan and Afghanistan proposed to establish an Afghan-Pakistan Friendship Association (APFA) to promote peace building and conflict resolution and involve civil society as the main driving force.

“The overall objective is to develop cross-border partnership to create a soft image for both countries,” said Ahmed Fahim Hakim, Deputy Chairman Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.

The proposal was floated at a conference jointly organised by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) in Islamabad in the backdrop of the recently held Bonn-II Conference. It was also supported by the Pakistan International Human Rights Organisation and National Centre for Policy Research, Kabul University, and partly sponsored by the German foreign office.

“Regional integration will be the key for a stable future for both Pakistan and Afghanistan,” said Dr Babak Khalatbari, regional representative of KAS at the conclusion of a two-day conference of the AFPAK Civil Society Forum.

The working groups of the delegates at the conference presented five proposals highlighting the future course of action.

These included peace through negotiations, developing partnership across the border, Track-II diplomacy between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the regional voice of the future, and the AFPAK relationship and the experience gained in the recent years.

“The AF-PAK Civil Society Forum has provided an opportunity to exchange views, ideas and institutionalise exchanges as well as developing a roadmap,” said CAMP Chief Executive Officer Naveed Shinwari.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2011.