Better times

­The first visit in 12 years to Pakistan by Dr Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister for Afghanistan, and also the former CEO of the country, where the vote is divided between him and President Ashraf Ghani, seems to have gone off to a good start. Dr Abdullah during his three-day visit to Pakistan, which ended on Thursday, met with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, and President Arif Alvi. In his talks with Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Pakistan PM stressed that past tensions and past rivalries should be put away so that a new beginning can be made. Shah Mahmood Qureshi took much the same line and denied the perception that Pakistan supported Taliban rebels in Afghanistan in order to increase its influence there, and counter Indian influence in the area.

The great game in Afghanistan is of course, a long drawn out process. But Dr Abdullah’s visit seems, at least on the surface, to have gone well. He hit right notes in his talks with senior Pakistani officials, and said that he hoped the visit would result in a new era for the two neighbouring countries which need to work together if there is any hope of stopping militancy and violence in the region. In this sense, India is also a partner, given its increasing influence with the Ghani government. Pakistan has helped put the reconciliation process, which is headed by Dr Abdullah, on track by talking to the Taliban and persuading them to begin negotiations, first to the US and later the Afghan government. But, of course, there are problems. One is the fact that Iran has taken no part in the whole affair.

This is just one stumbling block. There are others. But the key to sorting them out is good ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan. This can only happen through a continuous process of talks between those leading the two countries. There must also be agreement that now no state will interfere in the affairs of the other or deliberately try to sabotage peace and stability within it. Pakistan has been accused of attempting this in Afghanistan in the past. In turn, Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of allowing its soil to be used by militants who then enter Pakistan through the highly porous border that separates the two neighbours. There are many complications and many levels of complexities that lie ahead. We hope that the meetings held by Dr Abdullah in Pakistan can be a step towards sorting these out and laying out a new road which leads to peace in the region and greater stability for all its people.