ISLAMABAD, Aug 8: President Gen Pervez Musharraf called off his planned visit to Afghanistan on the eve of his scheduled travel to address the much-awaited Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Peace Jirga in Kabul.
He telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai and told him that because of his “engagements” in the capital he could not personally attend the jirga and that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would lead the Pakistan delegation, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said on Wednesday.
“The president assured the Afghan president of Pakistan’s full support in making the Joint Peace Jirga a success,” the statement said. President Karzai thanked the president for his phone call and appreciated the president’s support for the jirga process, it said.
President Karzai also renewed his invitation to the president to visit Afghanistan in the near future. It is believed that security considerations may also have prompted the president to stay away from the jirga.
KABUL’S REACTION: President Musharraf's absence from a jirga in Kabul would not affect talks, the Afghan foreign ministry in Kabul said on Wednesday, reports AFP.
“We believe the absence of President Musharraf, who is busy at home, won't effect the jirga,” Afghanistan's foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen told AFP.
A Western observer in Kabul said that Gen Musharraf's decision was disappointing.
“At this particular time, when both countries are facing such insecurity challenges, it would be disappointing that the leaders of the two countries could not sit together at this vital peace initiative,” he said on condition of anonymity.
