Pakistan invites new Afghan foreign minister

Sartaj Aziz felicitates Salahuddin Rabbani on his appointment

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has invited newly appointed Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Sala­hud­din Rabbani to Pakistan in order to forge a ‘comprehensive and enduring partnership’ between the two neighbours.

According to an official statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday, Aziz felicitated Salahuddin on his appointment. Wishing the new Afghan foreign minister a successful term, the adviser expressed commitment to work closely with him to realise their forward-looking vision for ties between the two countries.

Salahuddin Rabbani is the son of former president of Afghanistan and head of the Afghan High Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was assassinated in 2011 when a suicide bomber posing as a representative of the Afghan Taliban blew himself up in Kabul.

Salahuddin succeeded his father as the head of the High Peace Council established by then president Hamid Karzai’s administration to reach out to Taliban insurgents for a peace deal. As the head of the council, Salahuddin has visited Pakistan before.

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have seen upward trend since the new government led by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was formed. In recent months there has been a flurry of visits from both sides as part of latest push to open a new chapter in their otherwise troubled ties.

The main stumbling block has been the mistrust between the two countries over the issue of fighting terrorism. While Afghanistan has long held Pakistan’s security establishment responsible for the unrest in its backyard, Islamabad has accused Kabul of sheltering members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2015.