KABUL (SW): Prime Minister of Pakistan assured his skeptic western neighbor Afghanistan on Tuesday that Islamabad would never befriend with the enemy of Kabul.
Nawaz Sharif said this as he headed a high level delegation comprising of military and civil leadership to confer on regional and bilateral issues with the Afghan officials in Kabul. Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif, spymaster Lt-Gen. Rizwan Akhtar and a number of cabinet minister accompanied Sharif on this important visit.
The Kabul government rolled red-carpet to welcome Sharif with whom the Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has associated high hopes in regard to non-interference and cooperation towards a peace deal with the Taliban.
Ghani and Sharif met in private after having a meeting of the delegations in Kabul’s historical Presidential Palace.
Addressing the journalist after the meeting, Sharif acknowledged the threats posed by terrorism to both the countries. Known as a business-friendly politician having a background of industrialists, Sharif can be an ideal partner for Ghani, who himself is an economist and pursuing a rigorous plan to lift the economy of the war-torn country.
“Pakistan has the highest stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. We stand in strong solidarity with Afghanistan. I assure you that the enemies of Afghanistan cannot be friends of Pakistan,” Sharif reiterated.
The Prime Minister said his government supports the Afghan-led peace process and would support it.
“Pakistan and Afghanistan would succeed in rooting-out the menace of terrorism through their firm determination and by adopting a comprehensive and coordinated strategy” Sharif said.
Earlier this month, Afghan officials met the representatives of Taliban in Doha, Qatar for an informal meeting, a move that is seen as part of the comprehensive plan to bring the rebels to negotiation table with Pakistan playing a key role.
Pakistan has long been seen as supporter of Taliban and using them as a tool for strategic depth in Afghansitan.
Sharif vowed that was not the case anymore. “We agreed that our bilateral relationship will continue to be guided by the policy of non-interference. We will not allow our respective territories to be used against the other; and Afghanistan’s enemies will be treated as Pakistan’s enemies and Pakistan’s enemies will be treated as Afghanistan’s enemies,” he added.
For his part, President Ghani-who is seen as an architect behind the new policy of engagement with the regional countries, especially Pakistan-highlighted the threats posed by terrorism to the region. He said discussions with Pakistan were on the shared threats.
“Our security forces are fighting for the security of the entire region, not only Afghanistan, friendship with Afghanistan would be determined by who stands with us now”, Ghani said.
He said that both the sides agreed of realizing the full potential of well endowed reservoir of human and material resources, including through expanding trade, increasing investments, improving infrastructure, building road and rail links, and enhancing energy collaboration.
President Ghani said war was imposed on Afghanistan and he would fight the menace with might to defend Afghans. He added that there was no good or bad in terrorism and joint efforts are needed to fight the menace.
ENDS
