Doha trip: Gilani to share Afghan reconciliation plans

Islamabad bills PM’s visit an opportunity to boost bilateral ties.

DOHA:

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani arrived in Qatar on Monday to discuss Afghan peace efforts in the Gulf state where the Taliban and US officials have begun preliminary contacts.

Gilani has “arrived in Doha for a three-day official visit to the country,” the Gulf state’s state news agency QNA reported.

“The prime minister reiterated stance of his government to support Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiatives for a stable Afghanistan,” his office quoted him as saying before his departure.

Both countries are reported to have felt sidelined by contacts between the United States and the Taliban, who are leading an increasingly deadly insurgency against his government and 130,000 US-led foreign troops.

But Islamabad has officially billed Gilani’s visit to Qatar as an opportunity to boost ties and maximise trade.

“There are certain ideas and suggestions on Afghan reconciliation and when Prime Minister Gilani meets Qatar’s leadership, these will certainly come under discussion,” a senior Pakistani official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The Americans have been briefing us on all developments aimed at pushing forward the peace process in Afghanistan and we have clearly told them that Islamabad strictly adheres to a policy of non-interference,” he added.

The senior official said it was “important to engage all Afghan factions, including the Taliban, in the process to achieve lasting peace.”

Asked how Pakistan viewed the Taliban’s office in Qatar, the official said: “Now they have an address and all those wanting peace can have a contact.”

Bilateral cooperation

Prime Minister Gilani and his Qatari counterpart agreed to collaborate in diverse areas including energy and trade for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

The officials also discussed joint development of hydro power, while identifying sources of financing, exploring investment in energy, rehabilitating existing hydropower plants and the construction of a National Highway and Motorway infrastructure.

Gilani said Pakistan was interested in importing 500 million cubic feet LNG per day from Qatar that produces 77 million tonnes per annum of LNG. It will be initially provided to power houses to generate 2500MW electricity.

Gilani stressed the need to diversify trade potential between both the countries. He noted that the remittances from Qatar rose to $354 million in 2010 as compared to $339.51 million in 2009.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2012.