KABUL (SW): General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Army Chief of Pakistan, telephoned Afghanistan’s top political and military leadership on New Year’s Eve, pledging to work for peace in the region.
A statement by the Arg (Presidential palace) has noted the Pakistani Arm Chief expressed desire to visit Kabul for talks, which was acknowledged. No time frame has been announced in this regard.
His maiden telephone interaction with Afghanistan’s president, chief executive and army chief is seen as the latest push by Pakistan to mend its ties with Kabul that in recent months have been strained by a growing trust deficit between the two neighbors. Gen Qamar conveyed best wishes for 2017 to President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and army chief Gen Qadam Shah, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The Afghan leaders have been consistently accusing Pakistan of harbouring the Taliban and Haqqani network. Kabul insists that since the Taliban have refused to enter peace talks, time has come for Pakistan to use force against the insurgents.
Analyst Nazeer Khan, a retired army officer, told Salam Watandar the approach by the Pakistani Army Chief is in line with the recently held trilateral talks in Moscow. Raheemullah Yousufzai, a Peshawar-based analyst, welcomed the move as a good gesture for improving bilateral ties.
ENDS
