ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will roll out the proverbial red carpet for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who is arriving here on Friday on a two-day fence-mending mission.

Pakistan is one of the first countries President Ghani, who was sworn in in September, has chosen to visit. He earlier toured Saudi Arabia and China.

“On the invitation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, would be visiting Pakistan on 14-15 November 2014,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said on Thursday. The president will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior leaders, cabinet ministers, high-ranking officials and business representatives.

President Ghani’s visit would indicate how the relationship has transformed with the change in government in Kabul from one marred with deep distrust to a cautious desire for cooperation.

Islamabad’s relations with Kabul, which have historically been tense and complicated, plummeted to new lows over the past couple of years due to reignited border disputes, counter-terrorism differences and exchange of allegations. At the root of the tensions between the two countries are unfulfilled expectations on both sides.

The peaceful transition to the unity government in Afghanistan after the elections this year has provided the two countries a unique opportunity to move forward leaving behind the legacy of mutual distrust.

Pakistan took the first steps to rebuild the frayed ties by sending President Mamnoon Hussain to the oath-taking ceremony of President Ghani. This was followed by visits by Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz and Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif.

Even before these goodwill visits, Pakistan was doing its part for managing the crisis-ridden relationship by assisting the reconciliation process through the release of Taliban prisoners on the request of Afghan government and other measures; steps to secure the border during elections in Afghanistan; efforts for improving border coordination; and exercising restraint during the border incidents.

Pakistan recognises the importance of better relations with Afghanistan, as the spokesperson noted “peace and stability in Afghanistan are in Pakistan’s vital interest. Pakistan has consistently supported an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process”.

Better ties between Islamabad and Kabul will not only prevent the spread of terrorism, but will also catalyse economic growth in the region.

“The visit of President Ghani will help advance this process of consolidation and further expansion of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, to the mutual benefit of the two countries and of peace, stability and development in the region,” the spokesperson noted.

“During the visit, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Ashraf Ghani will hold in-depth consultations on all dimensions of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations – with a particular focus on bilateral political engagement, trade and economic cooperation, border security and counter-terrorism, energy and connectivity, reconstruction and rehabilitation, and people-to-people contacts,” Ms Aslam said.

The United States leaned hard on both sides to make them repair their bilateral ties.

US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson, speaking at a seminar at the National University of Science and Technology’s Centre for International Peace and Stability the other day said: “We have a stake in seeing your relationship with Afghanistan succeed, because we believe that solid ties between your two countries will help to deliver the best chance for regional stability for the people of Pakistan, the people of Afghanistan, and the entire region.

Both sides recognise that one or two high-level visits were not sufficient to bridge the wide gulf between them and they would continue to face challenges as they progress on the path for mending their relationship. They will need instead a sustained dialogue between involving all channels including military and intelligence.

A modest beginning could be made through finalisation of protocols for border coordination, which can later become a vehicle for forward movement.

“Communication will be essential to success. We support Pakistani and Afghan efforts to open channels of communication in order to address border incidents as soon as they happen – through appropriate channels,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2014