Afghan reconciliation process: Pakistan, US need to be on the same page, says FM

Qureshi stresses that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s strategic interest.


Express January 08, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States should be on the same page over the Afghan reconciliation process that seeks an end to the bloodshed by engaging with the Taliban, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in talks with the US Special Envoy for the region Frank Ruggiero on Friday.

Qureshi’s remarks indicate the two countries have divergent views on peace-making with the Afghan Taliban. Islamabad wants a clear roadmap that envisages direct negotiations with the insurgents while Washington calls for reintegration of low-level Taliban into the Afghan political fold.

“It is necessary that Pakistan and US are on the same page,” Qureshi told Ruggiero on Friday. The foreign minister said a stable and peaceful Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s strategic interest.

Accordingly, Pakistan, as the immediate neighbour of Afghanistan, would not shirk from taking every step possible to promote and facilitate reconciliation and reintegration in the country as part of the Afghanistan-driven process, he added.

Recently, Pakistan and Afghanistan have stepped up efforts to reach out to the Taliban. It is believed the two countries have agreed to establish a ‘bilateral mechanism’ to push the reconciliation process forward.

Discussing the US Strategic Review on Afghanistan, Qureshi said it was encouraging that the US had acknowledged successes achieved by Pakistan in containing militancy and terrorism.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office said that the foreign minister also raised the issue of continuing drone attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), terming them counterproductive.

However, analysts believe Pakistan’s protest is just for public consumption because the two countries appear to have tacit understanding on the use of predator strikes in the tribal belt.

On the Trilateral (Afghanistan-Pakistan-US) Ministerial Meeting to be held in Washington in February this year, the two sides underlined the need for full preparations with a view to achieving maximum tangible results.

The two sides expressed confidence that President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Washington and President Barack Obama‘s visit to Pakistan this year would add considerably to the process of strengthening bilateral relations taking them to new heights.

Ruggiero said that the US would continue with its policy of strengthening its ties with Pakistan in all areas to the two countries’ mutual benefit.

“This relationship is not just between governments of the two countries but also people of Pakistan and the United States,” he added.

He insisted that since the last few years the focus of Washington is on economic and civilian assistance to Pakistan, which is manifested by the Kerry-Lugar Act under which Islamabad would get $7.5 billion economic aid.

Answering questions, he claimed the US-led Nato forces were able to stop the momentum of the Taliban in Afghanistan but acknowledged that serious challenges remain including improvement in governance.

The US is committed to long term economic and civilian assistance in Afghanistan and has learnt many lessons from 1980s when the country was left on its own, he maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2011.

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