KABUL (SW): A well-placed source has told Salam Watandar that the President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has sternly demanded from Pakistan’s spy chief in a meeting on Tuesday to act against terrorists hiding in different parts of Pakistan.
The Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar visited Kabul a day earlier, and held talks with the President and other high-ranking officials. The source said on the condition of anonymity that Ghani conveyed to the ISI Chief that erecting military installations along the Durand Line and unprovoked shelling are unacceptable, and Pakistan must take action against terrorist named in a list provided to Islamabad.
The visit is seen to be in line with a meeting brokered by the United Kingdom in London between the National Security Advisers of Afghanistan and Pakistan last month. The source said Ghani would only meeting Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif once demands made in this meeting with the ISI Chief are met.
Intezar Khadem, an expert on international affairs, said in this regard that the bold and clear stance by Kabul in its ties with Islamabad is worthwhile. “The demands made by the President are legitimate, and it seems the U.S. is also backing Afghanistan on it, only time would tell if these demands would be met or not”, he said. Syed Raza Shah, a Peshawar based analyst, welcomed the dialogue process between the two countries. He, however, feared that pre-conditions might hurt the process.
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