Pak Pakhtun nationalists convince Ashraf Ghani to meet Nawaz Sharif

KABUL: A delegation of Pakhtun politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan including Asfandyar Wali Khan, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and Mahmoud Khan Achakzai met Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Friday.
The Pakistani Pakhtun leaders’ visit to Kabul is aimed at persuading President Ashraf Ghani to accept Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s invitation for a meeting, an official revealed on Saturday.
Some months back, relations between Kabul and Islamabad started deteriorating and face-to-face peace talks between the Ghani administration and Taliban were suspended after a series of suicide attacks in Kabul.
Contacts between the neighbouring countries also came to an end. The Heart-of-Asia is scheduled to be held in Islamabad next week. If the important event is not attended by Afghanistan, Pakistan’s reputation could be battered.
A source close to the Afghan government told Pajhwok Afghan News that Sharif was trying to meet Ghani during an upcoming international conference in Paris, the capital of France. The official, wishing anonymity, disclosed Ghani had rejected the invitation from Sharif on the sidelines of the Paris conference.
Nawaz is believed to have urged British Prime Minister David Cameron to convince Ghani to meet him, but the Afghan leader had rejected the suggestion. Consequently, Pakistan has sent the Pakhtun leaders to Kabul to reconcile with Ghani. The nationalist leaders visiting Kabul met Ghani, his predecessor Hamid Karzai and some other officials and participated in a reference in the memory of veteran Pashtun nationalist leader Afzal Khan Lala.
Speaking at the meeting, leader of Qaumi Watan Party, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said that they share each other’s sadness. Sherpao also added that Afghanistan is an independent country and we pray for peace and stability in Afghanistan, saying we have conveyed the message of peace from the people of Pakistan.
The Pakistani Pakhtun leaders met Sharif before they arrived in Kabul. The government official said Ghani had accepted the invitation to meet Sharif. But it is unclear when and where the two leaders will meet, but there are indications the meeting may happen in Paris.