ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought help from the government of Pakistan and religious parties on Thursday for advancing peace talks with Taliban in his country and said their assistance was of ‘critical’ importance for the success of the process.
Mr Karzai, who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan to attend a trilateral summit, met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari and interacted with Jamaat-i-Islami leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed and JUI-F Senators Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Gul Nasib, who have been associated with Afghan jihadi groups.
He also plans to meet JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq from whose seminary in Akora Khattak most Taliban leaders had graduated. A source privy to Mr Karzai’s meetings in Islamabad said he was primarily trying to explore who could do what to influence the Taliban to start negotiations for ending the war which was now in its 11th year.
Before starting the visit, President Karzai claimed in an interview with Wall Street Journal that Taliban were secretly talking to both the US and Afghanistan. His assertion was denied by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid who said the group wasn’t holding any talks with the Karzai administration.
Mr Karzai updated Prime Minister Gilani about initiatives taken by his government to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
Insisting on importance of Pakistan’s support for peace efforts, he said Pakistan and Afghanistan were “twin brothers and therefore should cooperate in the same spirit for the cause of peace and stability in both countries”.
President Karzai is reported to be pushing the government to arrange his meetings with Taliban leaders who are either in custody of Pakistani authorities or living in the country.
While scepticism prevails in the Afghan delegation about Pakistan’s “wholehearted and sincere” support for reconciliation efforts, Pakistani leaders reiterated their backing for the process saying it served their national interest.
“Pakistan supports any peace process in Afghanistan which is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned because peace, prosperity and independence of Afghanistan are in the best interest of Pakistan,” the prime minister said.
President Zardari was quoted as saying during his meeting with the visiting leader that “Pakistan has always desired a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan as it is in Pakistan’s own national interest”. The two countries had last year launched a joint commission for peace and reconciliation to advance efforts to reach out to insurgent leaders, but the initiative faltered after the High Peace Council’s chief, Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani, was assassinated. Afghanistan blamed the assassination on Quetta-based elements. The wounds caused by the murder appeared to be healing at Thursday’s meetings.
As Pakistani leaders paid tribute to Prof Rabbani, condemned his killing and reaffirmed their support for investigations into the incident and Mr Karzai thanked them for cooperation in the probe.
An Afghan team recently visited Pakistan, while a group of investigators from Pakistan travelled to Afghanistan for participating in the probe.
A source claimed that the two sides were close to reviving the joint commission.
This perception was strengthened by a statement issued by the prime minister’s office: “Both sides agreed on the need to strengthen mutual cooperation to overcome the common challenges of terrorism and extremism and expressed their resolve to work for the stability and peace of both the countries.”
During his meetings with leaders of religious parties, President Karzai asked for their help in restoring peace.
Talking to this reporter, Qazi Hussain said Mr Karzai had sought Jamaat-i-Islami’s help for pace in Afghanistan.
“We told him that foreign forces must first leave Afghanistan and then we can help the various factions to get together to resolve their differences.”
Maulana Sami said he believed that meaningful discussions for peace were not possible in the present situation when Taliban did not have confidence in Pakistan, the United States or the Karzai government. “The confidence will have to be restored and that can happen with the US putting up a serious agenda for talks.”
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