Enemies of Afghanistan are enemies of Pakistan: Sartaj

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan once again reassured Afghanistan on Monday that it would treat the enemies of Afghanistan as its enemies.
Without naming the Afghan Taliban, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while speaking at the inauguration of the first senior officials’ meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process here, said: “We see our collective efforts for peace and reconciliation as the ultimate culmination to bring about a lasting settlement of a conflict that has been raging, in one form or the other, for the last three decades.
“We have also resolved to eliminate terrorism through coordinated efforts. We have agreed that the enemies of Afghanistan are the enemies of Pakistan.”Pakistan has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to return to the negotiating table with the Afghan government and criticised their continued acts of terrorism in Afghanistan.
Aziz was retreating from Pakistan’s Afghan policy. From looking away from the presence of Afghan Taliban on its soil it now is taking another line. In the words of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, “All sanctuaries, when found, will be eliminated by direct action, and will be monitored by the existing mechanism. Any effort by any militant or group to destabilise Afghanistan will be dealt with severely and such elements will be outlawed and hunted down”.
Speaking on May 12 in Kabul Sharif had added that in case of terrorist activity, both Pakistan and Afghanistan retain the right of counter action in conjunction.“We agreed that peace and stability in the region will remain elusive until the menace of terrorism afflicting the region is comprehensively addressed,” he added.
Addressing the participants where Pakistan is the co-chair of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process for 2015 along with Afghanistan, Sartaj Aziz pointed out that President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to Pakistan in 2014 proved to be a milestone in strengthening the deep-rooted friendship with Afghanistan, while Sharif’s May visit to Kabul had added a new dimension to the mutual commitment for creating a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood in the region.
“It is for the first time that the two brotherly countries are jointly leading a regional platform - a platform that is driven by the firm belief that peace and prosperity in the region can only be achieved in an environment of trust and mutual confidence.
“We are confident to effectively face the challenges that face us today by mutual cooperation for moving forward on the path of peace, progress and prosperity”, Aziz added in a statement from the Foreign Office. Attended by several representatives from world capitals, Aziz lauded the willingness of participating countries in consolidating their efforts for the implementation of projects envisaged for enhancement of economic connectivity which would give a boost to regional prosperity.
Fourteen participating countries, sixteen supporting countries and twelve regional and international organizations are associated with the process.
“Afghanistan holds immense significance for us, not only because we share a common border or ethnic affinity, but also because together we can usher in a new era of regional connectivity and regional cooperation in line with the vision of transformation decade enunciated by President Ashraf Ghani”, said Aziz.
The meeting said the FO will provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan, its neighbours and regional partners in facing common threats, including counterterrorism, counter narcotics, poverty, and extremism, inter alia, through a set of six Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
In-depth discussions were held on assessment of security situation in Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia region; regional cooperation to address security challenges in the Heart of Asia Region; Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliation process and role of the region in this process as well as regional priorities for economic connectivity, including regional projects like CASA-1000, TAPI gas pipeline and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
There was convergence of views that peace, security and stability are essential for socio-economic development and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region. Therefore, the countries and organizations recognised the need to collectively strive for the attainment of these objectives to create a win-win situation for all.