‘Arab country facilitated Nawaz-Mohib meeting’

LONDON: A Middle Eastern Islamic country arranged former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Afghan National Security Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib, according to a trusted source.

The News has learnt from the credible source that a diplomat from the Middle Eastern Arab country spoke to Sharif and floated the idea of meeting the Afghan NSA during his London visit to meet the UK’s political and military leadership besides meeting with politicians and ambassadors from several countries.

After pictures of the meeting were released to the media by the Afghan National Security Council, ministers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) attacked Sharif for holding talks with Mohib.

It’s understood that the Afghan NSA was accompanied in all meetings by the State Minister for Peace Sayed Sadat Naderi and the Afghan ambassador to London.

The source said the meeting was arranged prior to the Afghan delegation’s arrival in the UK. The Arab country that facilitated the meeting is considered close to Pakistan and has enjoyed historically good relations with all the governments. The News sent questions to Sharif’s office in London for his viewpoint on the meeting, but no comment was offered.

However, a family source said that several months ago an Afghan government representative got in touch on behalf of President Ashraf Ghani to convey regards to Sharif and to ask about his wellbeing. He rejected the criticism at the meeting and said that the reaction by the PTI government showed how “obsessed” it was with Nawaz Sharif.

He said: “During our meeting both sides focused on the historic[al] relations between the two countries which are tied through history, culture and religion and have lived side by side.

“There is no doubt that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s incompetent government has caused irreparable damage to Pakistan, be it foreign policy or economy. Everyone knows that the foreign policy of the current regime is a disaster for Pakistan and is run by the trolls.

“Nawaz Sharif met the Afghan delegation at their request and tried to do damage control caused to Pakistan by the incumbent incompetent government in the last few weeks. Sharif told the Afghan delegation that the people of Pakistan wish to have a peaceful relationship with Afghanistan and would like to see a stable and prosperous Afghanistan as its stability is linked with that of Pakistan and vice versa. “The Afghan delegation thanked Nawaz Sharif for doing everything during his tenure to improve relations with Afghanistan.

He said Sharif had taken with him the then military leadership and three federal ministers for “frank dialogue with the Afghan President and his team to Kabul to resolve face to face any differences for the sake of cordial relations between the two Islamic states”.

He added: “What we observe today is an immature and visionless government, issuing childish policy statements which are harming the interests of Pakistan all over the world. Pakistan stands diplomatically isolated and Nawaz Sharif’s vision and efforts are aimed at bringing Pakistan out of this isolation and place her at par with other nations with dignity and honour.”