Islamabad tells Kabul it’s willing to go an extra mile

Talk to us directly, not through the press, Pakistani foreign secretary urges Afghan leadership

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has conveyed to Afghanistan’s top leadership that it is willing to go the extra mile to overcome the current hiccup in ties but also urged Kabul to use official channels for communicating its concerns instead of indulging in a blame game in the media.

The message was conveyed by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, who travelled to Kabul on Tuesday in the first such visit in months. The visit appears to be the latest push to normalise ties between the two estranged neighbours.

Janjua, who primarily visited Kabul for bilateral consultations with her Afghan counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, held meetings with President Ashraf Ghani, National Security Adviser Haneef Atmar, National Directorate of Security (NDS) Chief Masoom Stanikzai, former president Hamid Karzai, and Hizb-e-Wahdat leader Ustaad Muhammad Mohaqiq.



The unprecedented audience given to the Pakistani foreign secretary was a clear indication that a serious effort was being made to address mutual concerns, commented a senior foreign office official familiar with the development.

The official, who requested not to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media, told The Express Tribune that the visit of the foreign secretary should not be viewed in isolation.

He suggested that the US might be behind the recent push for rapprochement as it is increasingly concerned by the continued strain in ties between Islamabad and Kabul, before referring to recent developments including the visit of the US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan and telephonic conversation between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif.

The official also pointed out that both the US and Afghanistan knew the importance of Pakistan in stabilising the war-torn country. “The outcome of the foreign secretary’s visit was very positive,” the official added hoping that more such exchanges might take place in coming months between the two countries.

A statement issued by the foreign office said the foreign secretary and her Afghan counterpart agreed that lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan was critical for regional stability.

The foreign secretary emphasised that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and that the focus should be on evolving a credible political settlement, the statement added.



The two sides agreed that terrorism was a common challenge and there was a need to strengthen institutional cooperation between the two countries to effectively combat this menace.

The foreign secretary underlined the need for strengthening border management and humane repatriation of Afghan refugees.

Emphasising the importance of regional connectivity, the foreign secretary reiterated Pakistan’s desire to expedite transit facilitation and infrastructure connectivity projects between the two countries.

According to a statement issued by the Presidential Palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani asked Pakistan to take practical steps for the implementation of the London agreement between the two countries.

In the statement, Ghani said, “There should be no distinction between good or bad terrorism because terrorism is a serious and common threat to the people of both countries.”

Janjua for her part said Pakistan was also concerned about the regional security situation and she would take Afghanistan’s concerns forward to the new Pakistani leadership.