Friendship Gate

This refers to the editorial, ‘Border goodwill’ (May 28). The editorial has rightly appreciated the government for opening the Friendship Gate at the Chaman border. The gate was closed when Afghan forces fired on a Pakistani census team. Through the reopening of the gate, Pakistan has shown that it is ready to work on its strained relationship with Afghanistan. It is hoped that the neighbouring country will extend similar goodwill gesture. Although it will take a long time when the two countries will have friendly ties, it is good to note that steps are being taken in the right direction.

Pakistan has always tried to maintain friendly relations with Afghanistan. When the war broke out in Afghanistan, Pakistan opened its borders for people who fled the conflict-affected zone. The country accepted refugees with an open heart. In the same way, Pakistan is leaving no stone unturned to maintain peace and stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan is part of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) – an initiative taken to bring peace to Afghanistan. It is high time the countries refrained from playing the traditional blame game and worked out a viable plan to defeat terrorism and extremism.

Muhammad Fayyaz

Mianwali