To strengthen the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, dialogue is critical
SOUTH WAZIRISTAN, FATA: Pakistan hosted the first round of dialogue between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban on July 29 in Murree. Representatives from China and the US attended the meeting as observers. The second round of peace talks was scheduled for July 31; however, one day before the meeting of representatives from both parties, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the death of the supreme commander of the Taliban, Mullah Omar. The Taliban confirmed the news and postponed the reconciliation process. Recently, American President Barack Obama said that when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visits the US, he would urge Pakistan to bring the Taliban into the dialogue process.
To strengthen the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan, dialogue is critical. If Pakistan cuts off all ties with the Taliban, how will it be able to persuade them to move towards a negotiation process?
Secondly, Pakistan and Afghanistan should stop the game of blaming and criticising each other. A stable and peaceful Afghanistan is necessary for a peaceful Pakistan. I hope that both countries adopt the policy of cooperation and coordination and suspend the policy of blaming and criticising each other, which has never resulted in resolving any problem.
Rafiuddin Mehsud
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2015.
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