PM hopes for early start of intra-Afghan talks

Imran exchanges Eid greetings in phone calls from Afghan, Turkey presidents

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed the hope on Monday that the next phase of Afghan peace process would start soon, leading to the peaceful end of the lingering conflict in the war-ravaged country.

The prime minister received a telephone call from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Both facilitated each other on Eidul Azha and discussed a host of issues, including Afghan peace process, an official handout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The two leaders, as per the official readout, discussed the latest stage in the Afghan peace process. Prime Minister Imran highlighted Pakistan’s positive contribution to the peace process, strongly stressing that peace in Afghanistan was of paramount importance.

The prime minister expressed the hope that the current momentum would be built further to implement the US-Taliban peace agreement in its entirety, leading to the intra-Afghan negotiations at the earliest.

The much-awaited intra-Afghan dialogue is expected to resume soon as the Afghan government and Taliban have almost completed the prisoners swap, a key precondition for the start of the next phase of pear process.

The issue lingered on because of Afghan government’s initial reluctance to free Taliban prisoners before the intra-Afghan dialogue. The dialogue will decided the future political dispensation of Afghanistan and the role of Taliban. The first round is expected to take place in Doha, although other countries, including Germany and Norway, also offered to host the talks.

Meanwhile, referring to the various institutional mechanisms between the two countries, Prime Minister Imran highlighted the importance of working together to further strengthen bilateral relations. Pakistan, he said, looked forward to the next Session of Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) at the earliest.

President Ghani extended felicitations to Prime Minister Imran Khan on the occasion of Eid. Prime Minister Imran reciprocated the Eid greetings and observed that this year, Eid came when the international community was facing a number of challenges, including Covid-19.

He commiserated with President Ghani on the loss of lives in Afghanistan due to Covid-19 and expressed the hope that coronavirus would be contained successfully. Imran informed Ghani about the government’s strategy against Covid-19 in Pakistan with particular emphasis on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating economy.

Talks with Erdogan On Saturday, Prime Minister Imran and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged Eidul Azha greetings during a telephone conversation that also covered a range of issues from coronavirus to strategic cooperation, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Imran congratulated Erdogan on reopening the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque for prayers. He also appreciated Turkey for its role in the global fight against Covid-19 and for extending support to a number of countries, including Pakistan.

He briefed Erdogan on his government’s strategy to contain the spread of the virus in Pakistan with focus on saving lives, securing livelihoods and stimulating economy. The two men also discussed the need for Pakistan and Turkey to jointly work for medicine development.

The prime minister recalled Erdogan’s visit to Pakistan for the sixth session of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in February and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further fortify bilateral cooperation in all areas.

“The Pakistan-Turkey strategic relationship is underpinned by unique mutual trust, understanding and close cooperation,” said a statement. “Pakistan deeply appreciates Turkey’s steadfast support for the just cause of Kashmir, which President Erdogan reaffirmed during his address to the Joint Session of Parliament in February 2020.”