Border coordination: Islamabad, Kabul set up military hotline

Move latest in a series of steps to put the relationship between the neighbours back on track

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and Afghanistan set up a hotline between their respective military commanders on Wednesday, the latest in a series of steps taken in recent days to improve ties between the two neighbours.

The decision to set up a hotline between the directors general military operations (DGMOs) of the two countries was taken during army chief General Raheel Sharif’s day-long visit to Kabul on Sunday.



“In line with the agreement, first contact between the DGMOs was made through the hotline on Wednesday,” said chief military spokesperson Lt-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa.

“Both DGMOs discussed military to military issues, modalities, dates of meetings between corps commanders of two sides and measures to enhance coordination along the border,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general added.

The latest move is part of efforts by the two neighbors to restore mutual trust and improve their relationship, marred by months of mistrust and frequent blame games.

The rapprochement came during the visit of Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani to attend the Heart of Asia conference in Islamabad on December 9. At the sidelines, Ghani held talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Gen Raheel, and both sides agreed to take a series of steps to put relations back on track.





Last Sunday, the army chief travelled to Kabul in a crucial visit where both Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to make efforts for the resumption of stalled peace talks.  However, at the same time the two sides decided to develop a mutually acceptable framework to deal with irreconcilable Taliban groups. In an effort to expedite the peace efforts, Afghanistan will host a crucial meeting of senior officials from Pakistan, China, and the US in the first week of January. The meeting will work out a clear road map for talks with the Taliban and determine the specific role of every country for the reconciliation process.

The quadrilateral process was proposed by Pakistan in November to ensure that every country involved in the process takes full responsibility.

Official sources said talks between the Afghan government and Taliban are expected to resume within weeks if not days.



Pakistan brokered the first-ever face to face talks between the Ghani administration and Taliban in July. But the second round was called off at the last minute after the confirmation of the death of Mullah Omar.

Meanwhile, PM’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Afghan Taliban will have to renounce violence if they were to enter into meaningful talks with the Afghan government.

Speaking to reporters, Aziz voiced concerns over the rapid rise of Islamic State in Afghanistan. He also confirmed that some suspects trying to establish links with IS were arrested from Sialkot, but the presence of Da’ish in Afghanistan was ‘cause of real concern’ for Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2015.