PESHAWAR: Awami National Party central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that visit of Pakhtun nationalist leaders to Kabul eased the tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“No one can blame Pakhtun nationalist leaders for not playing their role for peace. They did their bit now the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan have to take it forward from here,” said Mr Hussain. He added that those leaders would have to be given “Waak” or full authority by both the governments if they were asked to play their role in the formal peace talks in future.
He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take benefit from the visit of senior leaders to Afghanistan and use the trip as a confidence building measure and defuse tension with Kabul.
Mian Iftikhar urges prime minister to use the trip as a confidence building measure
This he said while addressing party workers in Pabbi, Nowshera district on Sunday, according to a press release. On this occasion activists of other political parties joined ANP.
Mr Hussain said that ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan, who led the delegation, had termed the visit very fruitful, saying it would bring normalcy between the two countries. He said that leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan should take bold and concrete measures to remove mistrusts and resolve key issues through mutual understanding.
A delegation comprising Asfandyar Wali Khan, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Afrasiab Khattak and Saleem Khan had visited Kabul and held meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr Abdullah. Before Leaving for Kabul, Asfandyar Wali held meeting with Nawaz Sharif for consultation.
Mr Hussain said that the trip of the leaders to Kabul was an icebreaking move and would bring leadership of the two countries to negotiation table. Terming the visit good omen for the region, he said that Afghan leadership had hinted at resuming talks with Islamabad which was a major breakthrough.
The ANP leader said that Islamabad should take benefit from the positive stance of the Afghan government and take initiatives for building confidence. He said that President Ashraf Ghani was on way to Paris to attend a conference where his meeting with the Pakistani delegation was expected.
Mr Hussain said that workers and leaders of ANP had rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism and the situation changed because of their sacrifices. “Had ANP not faced terrorists, the situation would have been more volatile in the region,” he said.
He said that elements associated with so-called Islamic State in the region could exploit the situation if Pakistan and Afghanistan did not resolve mutual issues through dialogue.
“IS is on the threshold and a slight mistake can plunge the region into a further crises,” Mr Hussain warned and urged the leaders of both the countries to start meaningful talks. He appreciated the federal government initiative for starting work on the western route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He said that the project would boost to economic activities in the under-developed areas of the country.
Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2015