Nawaz, Raheel off to Kabul today

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief Gen Raheel Shairf will be heading a high-level delegation on a one-day visit to Afghanistan today (Tuesday), in what is being seen as a bridge-building exercise in the background of official and unofficial comments from Kabul pointing to the lack of cooperation by Pakistan toend terror attacks by the Afghan Taliban inside the land-locked country.
The Prime Minister who has been invited by President Ashraf Ghani will be accompanied by Sartaj Aziz, his adviser on national security and foreign affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi, his special assistant on foreign affairs, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Shairf, and senior officials.
This will be the Sharif’s first visit after the installation of National Unity Government in Kabul. Both Gen Raheel Sharif and the ISI chief Rizwan Akhtar have made several visits to meet the present Afghan civil and military leadership.
“Building close cooperative relations with Afghanistan is a high priority in Pakistan’s foreign policy and a vital component of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s vision of a ‘peaceful neighbourhood’,” the Foreign Office said while announcing the visit.
Earlier, the prime minister presided over a high-level meeting at the Prime Minister’s House which was also attended by Gen Raheel Sharif and senior officials where Tuesday’s Kabul visit and issues to be discussed with their Afghan hosts came under discussion.
The Sharif visit comes soon after Taliban representatives held informal two-day talks in Doha with Afghan government officials including women with hopes that both sides would soon agree to hold formal talks.
Pakistan says that it attaches importance to peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan and stands for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process and will continue to support these talks to the extent it can.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry commenting on the Doha talks told VOA, “Our message is very clear that they (Taliban) have to talk. If they talk and are able to contribute to peace in Afghanistan, that is the best thing that can happen to us and the whole region.”
Recently, the Afghan media has reflected growing discontent with Pakistan and its inability to stop the Afghan Taliban from continuing with its ‘spring offensive’ which has seen several militant attacks inside the country. Both at the official and unofficial level, the Afghan leadership has raised the issue saying that they expected more from Pakistan.
On many occasions, Sartaj Aziz has claimed, ”We do not have control over the Afghan Taliban.” He said they do not always accept Pakistan’s requests to go for peace talks.
“The Prime Minister’s visit is taking place at a time when bilateral relations between the two countries are underpinned by unprecedented warmth, mutual trust and a shared vision of working in lockstep to build a peaceful and stable region,” said the spokesman at the Foreign Office.
Meanwhile, as headway is being made in Zarb-e-Azab operation, the Pakistan delegation is also expected to raise the issue of the TTP who are enjoying safe sanctuaries inside Afghanistan with its head Mullah Fazaullah continuing to be able to strike inside different cities of Pakistan.
Earlier, Gen Raheel had taken up this demand with Ashraf Ghani and the military leadership in Kabul.Another issue is that of transit trade in which Ashraf Ghani is expected to raise the issue of Pakistan not allowing Afghan trucks carrying goods meant for India to reach Attari checkpoint.
Recently, on his first visit to New Delhi Ashraf Ghani told The Hindu that if the deadlock continued, Afghanistan will not allow access to Pakistani trucks to transit to Central Asia.
The return of Afghan refugees will also form part of discussions at a time when Pakistan is once again reconsidering the 2015 deadline which ensures that all refugees return to Afghanistan.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will have tête-à-tête with President Ashraf Ghani, who will also host a lunch for the Prime Minister. Other engagements of the Prime Minister will include a meeting with Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and delegation-level talks with the Afghan side.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Afghanistan, says the Foreign Office, would further strengthen the positive momentum in bilateral relations and help intensify common endeavours in the pursuit of durable peace, stability and prosperity in the region.