ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will meet Afghan National Security Adviser (NSA) Hanif Atmar in London on Wednesday in an effort to defuse tensions between the two countries over alleged terrorist sanctuaries.

The meeting has been arranged by the United Kingdom, which is resuming its mediatory role in the complicated Pakistan-Afghanistan equation.

This would be the highest level face-to-face contact between the two sides since their fraught relations went into a tailspin after last month’s spike in terrorist attacks in Pakistan after which Islamabad had closed down border crossings with Afghanistan and shelled terrorist sanctuaries on the Afghan side along the border. The crossings remain shut except for a brief two-day relaxation for return of stranded people.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of not taking action against the sanctuaries from where it says terrorists were planning and directing attacks in the country.

The Afghan government has confirmed that NSA Atmar has left for London for the meeting, whereas Mr Aziz, while talking to Dawn, said there was high probability of a meeting. “We have yet to confirm our participation,” he maintained.

Mr Aziz would, nevertheless, be visiting London to attend the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG).

Mr Aziz and Mr Atmar had already been talking to each other after the latest downturn in the two countries’ bilateral ties. Mr Aziz had late last month disclosed that the two sides were negotiating a mechanism for addressing each others’ terrorism concerns. But the talks faltered because of deep mistrust.

Afghanistan, it is said, had in res­po­nse to Pakistan’s call for action against terrorist hideouts on its soil linked it to similar measures by Pakistan against Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network on its soil. At the same time, it had insisted that any action should be verified by a third party.

Mr Aziz, in a meeting with Afghan media on Tuesday, emphasised the need for comprehensive bilateral engagement between the two countries to rebuild trust and confidence.

The UK has in the past played the role of a mediator between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Chequers Summit in February 2013 was one such effort, which instead of healing the rift aggravated the situation and former British prime minister David Cameron toured both Islamabad and Kabul in July to make a fresh attempt.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2017