Gen Raheel calls for revival of stalled Afghan peace talks
Army chief says instability in and outside Afghanistan has cast a long shadow on socio-economic climate in Pakistan
Army Cheif General Raheel Sharif. PHOTO: ISPR
ISLAMABAD:
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday called for reviving the moribund Afghan reconciliation process amid fears of instability in Afghanistan exasperated by the seizure of the strategic northern Afghan city of Kunduz by Taliban insurgents.
Addressing a security conference in Munich, Germany, Gen Raheel insisted that despite hurdles, peace and reconciliation was crucial for the larger settlement of the lingering conflict in Afghanistan. The conference was organised by the US Central Command, or Centcom.
The army chief urged all the stakeholders to revive the peace process that was called off by the Taliban in July this year following disclosure that their longtime elusive supreme leader Mullah Omar had died over two years ago.
The confirmation came barely days before Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives were to hold a second round of talks. The first rare face-to-face meeting between the two sides was held in Pakistan’s popular tourist resort of Murree in the first week of July.
The army chief’s call for revival of Afghan peace talks came amid strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul. In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urged Pakistan to fight all terrorist groups without any discrimination stressing that relations between Islamabad and Kabul were not brotherly but like ties between two states.
Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah also used his address at the UN General Assembly to ask Pakistan to fulfill its promises of launching a crackdown against extremist groups, which according to him, carry out cross-border attacks inside his country.
The strong-worded statements of the Afghan leaders highlight growing trust deficit between the two neighbours.
Without directly responding to the recent assertions by Afghan leadership, Gen Raheel said ‘perpetual instability’ in the neighbouring country had telling effects on the region as well as on Pakistan. “Instability in and outside the country has deeply affected the socio-economic climate in Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by army’s chief spokesperson Lt Gen Asim Salim Bajwa.
The army chief also highlighted Pakistan’s concerns regarding cross-border attacks being launched from the ‘terror sanctuaries’ established by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Afghan soil. “Practical steps are required to manage the Pakistan-Afghan border for gainful conclusion of Operation Zarb-e-Azb,” said Gen Raheel, according to the army’s media wing, ISPR.
He, however, said Pakistan’s current approach to restore stability had opened up economic opportunities for the country as well as the region. He said a peaceful Afghanistan could open regional connectivity.
Gen Raheel said Pakistan was ready to share with Afghanistan the benefits of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a network of rail and road links that connect impoverished western Chinese region to the Arabian Sea through Gwadar port. “It is essential for socio-economic development of Pakistan to address the menace of extremism,” he added.
After attending the conference, Gen Raheel arrived in London on a three-day official visit to the UK on Tuesday. Lt Gen Bajwa, who is travelling with the army chief, said Gen Raheel met UK’s Chief of Defence Sir Nicholas Houghton. “Matters of mutual interest, regional security and defence cooperation discussed,” he said in Twitter message.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2015.
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday called for reviving the moribund Afghan reconciliation process amid fears of instability in Afghanistan exasperated by the seizure of the strategic northern Afghan city of Kunduz by Taliban insurgents.
Addressing a security conference in Munich, Germany, Gen Raheel insisted that despite hurdles, peace and reconciliation was crucial for the larger settlement of the lingering conflict in Afghanistan. The conference was organised by the US Central Command, or Centcom.
The army chief urged all the stakeholders to revive the peace process that was called off by the Taliban in July this year following disclosure that their longtime elusive supreme leader Mullah Omar had died over two years ago.
The confirmation came barely days before Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives were to hold a second round of talks. The first rare face-to-face meeting between the two sides was held in Pakistan’s popular tourist resort of Murree in the first week of July.
The army chief’s call for revival of Afghan peace talks came amid strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul. In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urged Pakistan to fight all terrorist groups without any discrimination stressing that relations between Islamabad and Kabul were not brotherly but like ties between two states.
Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah also used his address at the UN General Assembly to ask Pakistan to fulfill its promises of launching a crackdown against extremist groups, which according to him, carry out cross-border attacks inside his country.
The strong-worded statements of the Afghan leaders highlight growing trust deficit between the two neighbours.
Without directly responding to the recent assertions by Afghan leadership, Gen Raheel said ‘perpetual instability’ in the neighbouring country had telling effects on the region as well as on Pakistan. “Instability in and outside the country has deeply affected the socio-economic climate in Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by army’s chief spokesperson Lt Gen Asim Salim Bajwa.
The army chief also highlighted Pakistan’s concerns regarding cross-border attacks being launched from the ‘terror sanctuaries’ established by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Afghan soil. “Practical steps are required to manage the Pakistan-Afghan border for gainful conclusion of Operation Zarb-e-Azb,” said Gen Raheel, according to the army’s media wing, ISPR.
He, however, said Pakistan’s current approach to restore stability had opened up economic opportunities for the country as well as the region. He said a peaceful Afghanistan could open regional connectivity.
Gen Raheel said Pakistan was ready to share with Afghanistan the benefits of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a network of rail and road links that connect impoverished western Chinese region to the Arabian Sea through Gwadar port. “It is essential for socio-economic development of Pakistan to address the menace of extremism,” he added.
After attending the conference, Gen Raheel arrived in London on a three-day official visit to the UK on Tuesday. Lt Gen Bajwa, who is travelling with the army chief, said Gen Raheel met UK’s Chief of Defence Sir Nicholas Houghton. “Matters of mutual interest, regional security and defence cooperation discussed,” he said in Twitter message.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2015.