Pak-Afghan relations on track despite sabotage attempts: Afghan adviser

Afghan president's adviser Sarwar Ahmadzai says hopes are high for success of ongoing Afghan peace process

Relations between Kabul and Islamabad are on a positive trajectory and these developments bode well for regional peace efforts, said according to Sarwar Ahmadzai, an adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

His comments came at a press conference he addressed in Islamabad on Friday along with Pakistan's Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Shehryar Afridi, Radio Pakistan reported.

"Certain elements want to disrupt relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan," said Ahmadzai, who is an adviser to President Ghani on national security.

He, however, expressed confidence that the ongoing Afghan peace process - in which Pakistan has played a pivotal role - would prove successful in restoring peace in Afghanistan.

He also lauded Pakistan's decision to reopen air traffic between Afghanistan and India.

The adviser appreciated Islamabad's treatment of Aghan refugees. "I visited two refugee camps in Pakistan and all Afghan nationals spoke positively about the facilities extended to them," said Ahmadzai.

"Afghanistan wants to ensure a dignified return for all refugees and we want to make sure that it happens at the earliest."

To a question regarding a clash between Afghan and Pakistani cricket fans in the United Kingdom, Ahmadzai said an incident involving two or three people could never represent the true aspirations of the Afghan public.

Safron minister Afridi reiterated Pakistan's commitment to perfrom a facilitative role in the Afghan peace process. "Pakistan desires peace in Afghanistan as this will be in the interest of the entire region. There can be no regional stability without peace in Afghanistan," he said.

"There are elements that do not want peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They are using cowardly tactics to destabilise our relations but we will never let these efforts succeed."