Imran vows to help stem Afghan bloodshed

PM in his maiden trip to western neighbour assures Kabul of Islamabad’s unflinching support to restore peace

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Afghanistan on Thursday and pledged that Pakistan would do everything it could to help reduce the spiralling violence and restore lasting peace and stability in the war-torn neighbouring country.

The premier’s maiden visit to Kabul since taking office comes amid an upsurge in attacks across Afghanistan despite Afghan government negotiators and the Taliban launching peace talks in the Qatari capital Doha in September.

"Despite the talks in Qatar, the level of violence is rising, so my idea of choosing this time to come was to assure you that Pakistan will do everything - whatever is possible we will do - to help reduce this violence and in fact move towards a ceasefire," the prime minister said at a joint news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace.

“We the people and government of Pakistan have only one concern, and that concern is ... that we want peace (in Afghanistan),” he added.

“If you [Afghan leadership] feel there is somewhere Pakistan can help, please let us know.”

The premier pointed out that Pakistan had played a consistent role in the intra-Afghan dialogue. However, he observed that violence in Afghanistan had increased despite the peace deal inked between the US and the Taliban in Doha in February. “Now to build trust again, we will help the Afghan government in meet their expectations,” PM Imran said.

PM Imran assured the Afghan government of Pakistan’s unflinching support and cooperation to end violence in the neighbouring country and bring about a ceasefire.

The prime minister regretted that the people of Afghanistan had suffered for four decades. He also expressed his concerns over the violence in the western neighbour affecting Pakistan’s tribal areas.

He thanked President Ghani for inviting him to Afghanistan and expressed confidence that it would lead to further strengthening of the ties between the two countries.

PM Imran noted that Pakistan and Afghanistan had historic links and recalled that during the 70s, Kabul and Peshawar were favourite destinations for visitors from both sides.

“Peace and connectivity is the best way to ensure the prosperity of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the entire region,” he said.

The prime minister said close cooperation between committees from both sides and intelligence agencies would lead towards finding effective solutions for peace and stability.

Earlier, President Ghani welcomed the PM Imran, saying that his visit was a “step towards strengthening cooperation”.

“Our common focus will be poverty eradication and empowerment of our countries,” he added.

The Afghan president acknowledged that the Pakistani prime minister had come to Kabul with an “important message to help end violence”.

He said enduring peace within the framework of joint cooperation was important to lead towards a comprehensive ceasefire.

“All of us need to understand that violence is not an answer, but an inclusive politics.”

Ghani said PM Imran’s visit had established a “foundation of trust” to continue the journey towards sustainable peace.

He announced that he would visit Pakistan in the near future on PM Imran’s invitation.

During their meeting, the two leaders agreed to step up their joint efforts to reduce the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan through close coordination and intelligence sharing.

The Afghan president said during his meeting with the Pakistan prime minister, they agreed that the respect for Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was in the hearts and minds of every Muslim and stressed the need for the world to differentiate between the “negative comments” and “freedom of expression”.

PM Imran’s trip is the highest-profile visit by a Pakistani official to Kabul since peace talks began between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha.

It comes days after the Pentagon announced it would reduce the number of US military personnel in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January.

Earlier, upon his arrival, Imran was given a warm reception at the Afghan Presidential Palace.

The Afghan president received the Pakistan prime minster on his arrival at the Presidential Palace, situated in the heart of Kabul city.

PM Imran reviewed the guard of honour presented by a contingent of Afghan forces.

Afghan Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Afghanistan’s Special Representative for Pakistan Umer Daudzai received the prime minister at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The prime minister’s entourage included Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PM’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, Special Representative for Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq and other senior officials.

Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan and the embassy officials also accompanied by the prime minister.

PM Imran had wide-ranging talks with President Ashraf Ghani to review efforts during the past two years to promote shared objectives of strengthening Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations and achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan, read a statement issued by PM office at the conclusion of the visit.

The premier reaffirmed Pakistan’s support to a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan.

He reiterated his long-standing view that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that a negotiated political settlement was the only way forward for enduring peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Imran called on all sides for taking necessary measures for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire to protect Afghan lives.

Underscoring the importance of an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement, the prime minister underlined that Pakistan will respect the decisions made by Afghans in the peace process. He also cautioned against those who could spoil the peace efforts.

During the visit, Pakistan and Afghanistan also issued a document titled “Shared Vision between Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Support Peace and Stability in Both Countries and the Wider Region.” The Shared Vision is aimed at advancing a forward-looking cooperative partnership between the two countries for political, economic and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders agreed to constitute committees to pursue security and peace-related matters.

PM Imran expressed satisfaction at increasing high-level leadership exchanges imparting a steady momentum to bilateral cooperation in diverse fields. In this regard, he appreciated that the recent visit of Advisor on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood to Kabul from 16-18 November led to important breakthroughs for commencement of negotiations on Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), progress in revision of APTTA, Customs Assistance Agreement, and understanding to have MoU for cooperation between two Central Banks.

The two leaders also agreed to expedite infrastructure and energy connectivity projects. They also discussed development of new rail-road projects between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The premier extended an invitation to President Ashraf Ghani to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

PM Imran, accompanied by the Ghani, also met with the Afghan cricket team.