PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has said that he will visit Kabul next month to cement ties between people of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, he said that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had invited him to visit Kabul. He said that visit was expected to take place in mid-June and senior leaders of the party would also accompany him. He said a two-member delegation of JI had recently returned from Kabul.

The JI leader stressed for promotion of relations between the two countries and said that Pakistan instead of supporting any faction should look into the interest of the Afghan nation. “Stable and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan,” he said. He said that close ties between the two neighbours was essential for durable peace in the region and suggested that Islamabad and Kabul should assist each other. He said presence of Nato forces in Afghanistan was major hurdle in restoration of peace in the region.

Relations between the two countries had seen improvement after election of Ashraf Ghani as the president and politicians and parliamentarians from different political parties have been visiting Kabul. However, JI which had staunchly supported resistance forces in the war-torn country, including Taliban, and opposed deployment of Nato troops is sending its high-level delegation to Kabul.

Sirajul Haq said that India had taken advantage of the tense relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan and New Delhi always tried to use Afghan soil to destabilise Pakistan. He said millions of Afghan refugees had been residing in Pakistan for the last three and half decades and these refugees could work as goodwill ambassadors of Pakistan in their home country. He urged police and other departments not to harass Afghan nationals in Pakistan.

The JI chief said that Pakistan had been hosting million of Afghan refugees since 1979 when their country was attacked by the Soviet Union and added that people of both the neighbouring countries shared bond of brotherhood and faith. An entire generation of Afghans had grown up in Pakistan and both the people respected each other, he said.

A two-member JI’s delegation had previously visited Afghanistan, he said, adding that during the planned visit they would also meet leaders of the Afghan political parties. The visit aimed at strengthening the bond of unity among the brotherly countries, he said.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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