Afghan wish list: Kabul pushes for end to interference

Kabul seeks Pak help in bringing the Haqqani's to negotiating table; countries want $5b in bilateral trade by 2014.

KABUL:

Afghanistan is seeking greater interaction with the civilian apparatus in Islamabad in a bid to end Pakistan military’s alleged “interference” in its affairs, an official accompanying Prime Minister Yousaf Raza on his Kabul tour told Express 24/7 on Sunday.  Many observers in Kabul believe Islamabad is blocking attempts at finding a political solution to the conflict in that country.

They also said that Burhanuddin Rabbani, the chief of the Afghan High Council for Peace, has called for restoring the Loya Jirga for initiating contacts with the Taliban in a bid to reintegrate them into mainstream Afghan society. Officials quoted Rabbani as saying that initiating talks with the Taliban without restoration of the Loya Jirga would be useless.

The Associated Press of Pakistan quoted him as saying a day ago that the objective of the High Peace Council “is precisely to develop close political bilateral and economic relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan”. During the meeting, the prime minister invited Rabbani to visit Pakistan.  Another official in the prime minister’s entourage told this correspondent that Afghan

officials had also hinted at broader Pakistani support for bringing the Haqqani network to the negotiating table.

They also said that President Hamid Karzai was “very frank” in his interaction with Gilani. They said the Afghan president was “furious over the coalition forces’ lack of common sense while dealing with the Mullah Mansoor”, a reference to the fake Taliban leader who duped senior coalition leaders.

Appreciating Gilani’s efforts to improve ties between the two countries, Karzai said that the prime minister could make a positive impact on “a lot of Gilanis in Afghanistan”.

During official level talks, Gilani and the Afghan president discussed the possibility of expanding bilateral ties further and exchanged views on the overall regional situation.

Pakistan is actively participating in Afghanistan’s development through a $330 million assistance programme.

Addressing leaders of the Afghan corporate sector at a breakfast meeting earlier in the day, Gilani pointed out opportunities for trans-regional development and connectivity between Pakistan and Afghanistan and urged the business communities of the two countries to make optimum use of these prospects.

The prime minister said that the future of the two economies is closely inter-linked and the geo-economic dynamics of the region make it imperative for both countries.

He said Pakistan and Afghanistan have also agreed to work jointly on enhancing regional connectivity and to establish corridors to facilitate trade and energy transactions. He said projects like Tapi, Casa-1000 and North-South rail link could transform the economic landscape of the region.

Gilani said he has proposed to Karzai the establishment of special trans-border economic zones and efforts to facilitate joint ventures and partnerships in the private sector.

He said ongoing trilateral and quadrilateral frameworks of cooperation were illustrative of common endeavours to realise this vision. Gilani said he and President Karzai have agreed to fully implement the new Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement and redouble efforts to increase trade to $5 billion by 2015.

To facilitate trade, additional measures including customs harmonisation and establishment of trade facilitation mechanisms will be taken by both the sides, he added.

He pointed out that increasing levels of bilateral trade at a time of global recession was extremely heartening and the businesses are benefiting from increase in trade. “Pakistan will never seek unilateral advantage in trade with Afghanistan,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2010.