Ag Agencies
By News desk
RAWALPINDI/ KABUL: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has welcomed President Biden’s announcement of withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan by September 2021.
The COAS was talking to Mrs Angela Ageler, US Charge d’ Affairs to Pakistan, who called on him at the GHQ on Thursday.
Gen Bajwa reiterated that a prosperous, stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan in particular and region in general. He hoped for greater Pak-US bilateral cooperation in all domains in future.
Visiting US diplomat appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region, especially the Afghan Peace Process and also assured of US continued assistance for the common cause of peace in Afghanistan.
Thursday also saw an unannounced visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kabul.
The secretary of state vowed that the US will have a lasting partnership with Afghanistan even after it withdraws all forces from the country before this year´s 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Blinken met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as well as senior US officials in Kabul and briefed them on Biden´s announcement that he was ending "the forever war", which began in response to the 2001 September 11 attacks. In a meeting with Abdullah Abdullah, Blinken said it was the start of "a new chapter that we´re writing together".
Prior to meeting Ghani, Blinken visited the US embassy in Kabul.
The delayed withdrawal -- even by just over four months -- has angered the Taliban, who have threatened to resume hostilities against US forces. India, on the contrary, showed its concerned about the proposed withdrawal from Afghanistan, Indian chief of the defence staff said Gen Bipin Rawat told a security conference Thursday that the worry was "disruptors" would step into the space created by the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.