Afghan peace negotiator urges a new era in ties with Pakistan


The head of Afghanistan’s peace negotiating team said on Tuesday on a visit to Pakistan that the time has come for the two neighboring countries to avoid the suspicions, “stale rhetoric” and tired conspiracy theories that have plagued past relations.

Abdullah Abdullah is in Pakistan on a bridge-building mission aimed at repairing the deep-seated mistrust between the two countries. It was his first visit in 12 years.

Abdullah told the Institute for Strategic Studies in the federal capital Islamabad that the two neighbors are on the threshold of a new relationship characterized by “mutual respect, sincere cooperation and shared prosperity.”

“I am a firm believer that after many worrying years, we now have to move beyond the usual stale rhetoric and shady conspiracy theories that have held us back,” Abdullah said. “We cannot afford to do business as usual. We need new approaches and our people demand them. It is more urgent than ever to consider our region as a single region. “

His remarks come ahead of Tuesday’s meetings with Pakistan’s powerful army chief and prime minister. His visit also comes at a crucial time in Afghanistan’s troubled history, as a government-appointed negotiating team is in the Gulf state of Qatar negotiating an end to the war with its Taliban enemies.

Even before coming to power in 2018, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has advocated a political end to the Afghanistan war and has been a strong critic of Washington’s so-called war on terror, saying it has left dozens of thousands of Pakistanis and Afghans killed.

But many in Afghanistan have criticized the support the Taliban received in Pakistan following the collapse of their government in 2001 with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Pakistan maintains that its relationship with the Taliban was what gave it the leverage to pressure the religious militia to enter into negotiations.

Still, Afghans are deeply suspicious of Pakistan and government officials fear that Pakistan will continue to engage in their country as a means to counter the influence of its hostile neighbor, India, in Afghanistan. Pakistan and India have gone to war three times and both Pakistan and India accuse each other of using Afghan territory to undermine stability in the region.

Pakistan has come under international criticism for its support for some militant groups and its opposition to others. While Pakistan’s military and politicians say politics has been relegated to the past, Islamabad’s neighbors remain suspicious.

“We do not want a terrorist footprint in our country or allow any entity to pose a threat to any other nation,” Abdullah said Tuesday. “The current intra-Afghan talks offer the best hope to put the war behind us and use patience, dialogue and commitment to agree to unite the country. “

Abdullah and the United States, which brokered the peace deal with the Taliban to start negotiations with the government, have been pushing for the talks to be accompanied by a reduction in violence.

The Taliban have refused.

“We call on all parties to agree to seriously reduce violence and protect civilians from further harm as we seek a full and permanent ceasefire,” Abdullah said.

Still, the violence continues and on Tuesday in Afghanistan’s central Day Kundi province, a roadside bomb killed at least 14 civilians, including five children, as they traveled from one district to another, the ministry spokesman said. from the Afghan Interior, Tariq Arian.

“Peace is not only an Islamic principle and duty, but also that unique historical opportunity that must not be wasted,” Abdullah said. “Now that the ice has been broken, we all have a role and a responsibility to help you move toward its realization and prevent a relapse.”

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Associated Press journalist Tameem Akhgar in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

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