The premier briefed Kayani on the outcome of Aziz’s trip. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Pakistan will continue supporting efforts for a peaceful end to the 12-year-old conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan despite the reluctance of President Hamid Karzai’s administration to mend frayed relations with Islamabad.
The decision was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Tuesday. The meeting came two days after the prime minister’s foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz toured Kabul in a move designed to mend fences with an increasingly sceptical neighbour.
Aziz formally invited Karzai to visit Islamabad. The Afghan leader “in principle accepted the invitation” but set some preconditions for his trip. Karzai’s office said he could tour Pakistan only when “serious and effective struggle against terrorism and the peace process are on top of the agenda”.
Sources familiar with Tuesday’s meeting told The Express Tribune that Gen Kayani and Premier Nawaz discussed the apparent impasse in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The premier briefed Kayani on the outcome of Aziz’s trip.
According to sources, Aziz’s meetings with President Karzai and senior officials of his administration remained inconclusive as the Afghan leadership accused Pakistan’s security establishment of impeding the Afghan peace process.
A senior foreign ministry official disclosed that given Karzai’s unrelenting attitude it appeared that it would take some time to put the bilateral engagements back on track.
Nawaz and Kayani also discussed the agenda for the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kerry is expected to travel to Islamabad later this week, although his itinerary has not been made public apparently due to security reasons. Officials said apart from the regional situation, Pakistani officials would take up several issues to improve bilateral relations with the United States.
They added that Islamabad has been pushing for reviving the ‘strategic dialogue’ with the US which remains suspended since early 2011 due to the roller-coaster ties between the two countries.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2013.
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It seems that now the river has started to flow i a right direction . Cooperation between the duo is a must to defeat terrorists .
@Hammad: In theory - yes. In practice, foreign policy is still controlled by the army. In theory, the army chief should salute the PM. In theory the army chief's boss should be the defense minister but as ou are aware, the defense minister told the Abbotabad commission that he was not in the loop on any military matters.
@ Hammad :They Inform them: This job should have been performed by Mr. Sartaj Aziz. PM advisor on foreign affairs and National Security and not the PM himself.
Dear ET. Military rule has been gone since 2007. Wake up. PMs don't brief the army chief anymore. They inform them. The army chief briefs the PM.
The contents of the news story subtly convey the message that the military still controls the Afghanistan part of foreign policy despite the claim of civilian control on all matters in the realm of international relations. Does this mean that our political leadership is yet to understand the nitty gritty of foreign policy.
So this PM will not be blessed with the Salute his the Army Chief.
Hope it is as good as the picture looks
Basically the news reaffirms that there would be no change in Pakistan's policy toward Afghanistan. The govt has changed after elections but the masters remain the same! Unless our establishment changes its policy no peace can be stable in the region. Long live our strategic assets.
"They added that Islamabad has been pushing for reviving the ‘strategic dialogue’ with the US which remains suspended since early 2011 due to the roller-coaster ties between the two countries." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Yet another example of 'apparent impasse'?
"it would take some time to put the bilateral engagements back on track." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ie till after the Presidential elections in Afghanistan.
Confidence BuILDING Measures re Afghanistan +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Pakistan has a new policy for Afghanistan. Now those words need to be transformed into ground reality. I suggest that Pakistan arrest the entire Haqqani Group and hand over to Afghanistan.
That would be a CBM.
Afgans cannot blame their neighbours for the plight they are into, we have heard your complaints not for the first time. Please go to Saudi King, the Godfathers, in the disguise of Umra in this holy month and ask him to help you on terrorism.
This is an old picture i think! Asfandyar Wali wa with jealousy in the background!