News
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Kabul sees ‘big change’ among Pakistanis* Afghanistan optimistic Islamabad will help Kabul advance peace process
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is optimistic that regional power Pakistan will help the Kabul government advance a reconciliation process with Taliban, the Afghan president’s spokesman said on Saturday.
“We noticed a big change among the Pakistanis. The atmosphere is much better,” Karzai’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said in Islamabad. “We are more optimistic than before that they will support us,” he added. Pakistan, seen as crucial to efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, has repeatedly said it wanted peace in its neighbour.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had been strained for months after the assassination in September of Afghan peace envoy and former president Burhanuddin Rabbani. But talks this week between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani leaders in Islamabad were encouraging, Faizi said.
Faizi said Karzai made several demands when he met top Pakistani officials.
He would not list them but Afghanistan is known to want access to Taliban leaders belonging so the so-called Quetta Shura. They would be the decision makers in any substantive peace negotiations, he added. Pakistan has consistently denied giving sanctuary to insurgents and denies the existence of any Quetta Shura, or leadership council.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said after a recent trip to Kabul that a lot of ill will between Kabul and Islamabad had eased.
And she indicated Pakistan would encourage terrorist groups seeking to topple the US-backed Kabul government to pursue peace if asked by Afghanistan. The apparent change in mood comes at a critical time when the Afghan government is exploring ways to reach the next stage of reconciliation - negotiations with the Taliban. So far, there have only been contacts, Afghan officials say.During his trip to Islamabad, Karzai also met opposition politicians and religious leaders. reuters
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk