Pakistan likely to attend regional moot in India

Heart of Asia-Istanbul ministerial meeting to be held in Amritsar in December

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to attend a key regional conference on Afghanistan in India in what appears to be a calculated diplomatic move at a time when the Narendra Modi administration is making desperate attempts to isolate Islamabad globally.

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul ministerial meeting is scheduled to take place in the first week of December in the Indian city of Amritsar.



Pakistan’s participation in the meeting was doubtful in the wake of ongoing tensions with India. Islamabad was considering options after New Delhi scuttled the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) scheduled to be held in Pakistan in November.

However, officials familiar with the development told The Express Tribune that Pakistan has no intension of following in the footsteps of India by staying away from the Heart of Asia-Istanbul conference.

“There is a growing sense among the stakeholders that Pakistan should attend the Heart of Asia-Istanbul conference,” said a senior government official while requesting anonymity.



The official pointed out that there was no point of boycotting the conference since it was about Afghanistan. “As we have stated repeatedly that Pakistan will support every endeavour that contributes towards peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he added.

However, it is unclear whether Pakistan will send Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz or downgrade its participation at the conference.

The official said Pakistan’s participation in the meeting would convey a ‘loud and clear’ message to the world that unlike India, it was in favour of reaching out to its neighbours for bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.



Foreign ministers from 14-member countries, including Russia, China and Turkey, are expected to attend the daylong conference meant to discuss the current Afghan situation and possible initiatives the immediate and extended neighbours of Afghanistan could undertake to restore long-term peace and stability in the war-torn country.

Senior officials from 17 supporting countries, including the United States, will also participate in the meeting to be jointly presided over by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was established in 2011 at the initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey. Its main objective is to foster efforts for regional cooperation and connectivity with a view to promoting long-term peace and stability as well as progress and development in Afghanistan, and the region.



Pakistan hosted the last Ministerial Conference in December last year which was also attended by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. In fact the Afghan regional conference helped Pakistan and India to revive their stalled peace process after the meeting between Aziz and Swaraj at the sidelines.

The two countries at that time agreed to start a comprehensive bilateral dialogue, which was earlier known as composite dialogue, to discuss all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. The process, however, collapsed after an attack on the Indian airbase near the border with Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2016.