KARACHI: Pakistan and Afghanistan have been urged by the [US] to hold a formal conference between themselves as early as possible to settle their border disputes, a spokesman of the Foreign Office said ... on Friday [Dec 1]. The spokesman added that the communication of the American Government was being considered by the Pakistan Government.

The American communication is believed to have been discussed at a top-level conferen­­ce in Karachi on Thursday. … [It] is understood to have been attended by Prime Mi­­nister Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions, and the Frontier Governor, Mr I.I. Chundrigar.

… It was generally believed in the political quarters in Karachi that Pakistan would view the American approach favourably. These quarters pointed out that Pakistan had always been willing to discuss matters with Afghanistan across the table… . … The approach of the [US] is believed to be that it was in the interest of stability in this strategic region in Asia… . The initiative in the matter is understood to have been taken by the Assistant Secretary of State, Mr George McGhee, who visited … NWFP more than a year ago.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2025