Pakistan, Afghanistan to take action against armed groups not joining peace process

COAS, Afghan president & chief executive discuss matters related to resumption of stalled peace process

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Sunday to take actions against elements that are hampering the Afghan peace process.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both sides have also agreed to pursue peace and reconciliation with Taliban groups willing to join the process.

The decisions were taken during Army Chief General Raheel Sharif's visit to Kabul on Sunday where he held detailed talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Dr Abdullah Abdullah. During the meetings, issues related to mutual security, information sharing, coordinated counter terrorism operations on respective sides and way forward for Afghan peace process came under discussion.

Agreed that that would pursue peace and recon with Taliban Groups willing to join the process.Elements who would still continue -7

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 27, 2015

to pursue violence will be dealt,under a mutually agreed framework-7A

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 27, 2015

Discussing the way forward for peace process in Afghanistan, both sides agreed to work in an already agreed quadrilateral framework.

"Elements who would still continue to pursue violence will be dealt, under a mutually worked out framework," the statement said adding that senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States will meet in January to work out a road map for the resumption of stalled Afghan peace talks with a clear demarcation of responsibilities of each stake holders at all stages.

With a shared responsibility all stakeholders would support and ensure success of an Afghan government led intra-Afghan dialogue and reconciliation.

COAS visited Kabul today,met Afgn PresAshraf Ghani&CE Dr Abdullah.mutual security related issues incl info sharing-1 pic.twitter.com/AcbKjK5LHw

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 27, 2015

Notwithstanding the complexity of prolonged presence of over three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and intimate cross border tribal linkages, Pakistan and Afghanistan reiterated their resolve not to let any use their respective soil against each other and agreed to sternly deal with elements crossing over and getting involved in violence on either side, through active intelligence sharing and Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs).

Emphasising on the need to improve bilateral relations it was decided to establish a hot line contact between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both the countries and increase the frequency of military to military visits for better coordination.

Later, COAS met General John F Campbell, Comd Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and visited Bagram Air Base where he was briefed on the capabilities of Resolute Support Mission and special operations.

Matters of mutual interest, regional security issues with particular reference to reconciliation process in Afghanistan and better coordination for operations along bordering regions came under discussion.

COAS also met Gen Campbell,visited Bagram Base,was briefed on capability of Resolute Sp Mission&spec ops.Afgn Recon,security/coord discussed

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 27, 2015

Earlier, General Raheel arrived in Kabul for a daylong visit where he would meet senior political and military leadership of Afghanistan.

The army chief would discuss the Afghan reconciliation process, border management and security issues with the Afghanistan’s leadership.



The military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), had confirmed General Raheel’s visit on Friday with its Director General Lt-General Asim Saleem Bajwa’s message through the micro-blogging site Twitter.

On Saturday, the DG ISPR said the Afghan peace process and future strategy would also be chalked out during the meetings of the army chief with Afghan officials. “Pakistan is fully included in the peace process. However there should be a sense of a shared responsibility and everyone will have to play their role,” he added.

The army chief’s visit comes ahead of a quadrilateral meeting of senior diplomats from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the US. At the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HOA-IP), leaders and senior officials of the four countries had agreed to work for the early resumption of the Afghan peace process.



Afghan leaders have also attached hopes to the visit as they believe it could determine direction for the resumption of the peace process. Senior Afghan officials told a Pakistani delegation to a non-official security dialogue in Kabul that there is a ‘window of opportunity’ in the coming months to push for the peace process to stop the Taliban’s major attacks before the weather warms up.

Last week, President Ghani said the peace process should resume ‘in weeks, not months’. A section of the Afghan media quoted the National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar as saying that talks could begin in ‘two to three weeks’.

Ahead of the army chief’s visit to Kabul, Afghan President Ghani also telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz on Friday. “Both the leaders discussed matters of mutual interest besides regional issues,” Pakistan’s state-run media claimed on Friday.



Diplomatic sources in Kabul had earlier told The Express Tribune that the National Unity Government would have to evolve a consensus on key issues including peace talks with the Taliban before any role by Pakistan and other countries. “Afghan leaders have a different opinion on the talks with the Taliban that could be an obstacle,” a source said.

However, senior Taliban officials said they “do not have any new plan for talks so far.” A senior Taliban leader told The Express Tribune that Taliban are “neither under pressure for talks nor will accept any pressure.”