Escalation in violence: Pakistan, Afghanistan review reconciliation process

Sartaj Aziz and Salahuddin Rabbani meet on the fringes of the OIC ministerial meeting

ISLAMABAD: Top diplomats from Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday reviewed efforts related to the reconciliation process in the war-ravaged country following the escalation in Afghan Taliban attacks.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between PM’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Afghan FM Salahuddin Rabbani in Kuwait on the sidelines of the conference of OIC foreign ministers.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that the two ministers reviewed the implementation of the understanding reached during the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent visit to Kabul.

They reiterated the need for intensifying bilateral cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields.

“They also discussed the ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in facilitating an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of reconciliation in Afghanistan and the upcoming Heart of Asia Conference to be hosted by Pakistan,” the statement added.

As the Taliban scaled up their attacks as part of their spring offensive, the fate of the fragile peace process appeared increasingly uncertain.

For its part, Islamabad has warned the insurgents to renounce violence and made it clear that the enemies of Afghanistan are enemies of Pakistan.

Meeting the OIC chief

The adviser also held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Iyad Ameen Madani in Kuwait.

He congratulated the secretary general and his team on the successful OIC council of ministers’ meeting which concluded in Kuwait.

Apart from economic, cultural and educational cooperation, the political agenda of the 42nd session of the OIC council covered a wide range of regional issues, including the Middle East peace process, Palestine, Yemen, Syria and Jammu and Kashmir.

There was a special closed-door brainstorming session on devising a common vision for promoting tolerance and rejecting terrorism, according to the Foreign Office.

A meeting of the OIC contact group on Kashmir was also held on the sidelines of the council’s meeting.

A delegation of the True Representatives of the Kashmiri people led by Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan attended the meeting at the special invitation of the secretary general.

The Council of Ministers adopted a resolution calling for solving the Kashmir issue in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions.

The adviser and the secretary general held in-depth exchange of views on the role of the Committee on Science and Technology (COMSTECH) in promoting cooperation among the Islamic countries in the important field of science and technology. Pakistan holds the chairmanship of COMSTECH, based in Islamabad.

The secretary general expressed his gratitude to the adviser for the support OIC had traditionally received from Pakistan as its founding member.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2015.