ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib would arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss a wide range of issues, said a senior Afghan official on Sunday.
Hikmat Safi, adviser to Afghanistan’s chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, told Arab News that the NSA’s daylong visit was going to take place at a crucial juncture, adding it could lead to a thaw in the frosty relations between the two countries.
Despite their cultural and historic affinities, relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have mostly remained strained in the past.
Afghanistan recalled its ambassador from Islamabad in March to protest Prime Minister Imran Khan’s reported statement wherein he maintained that Kabul should adopt an interim setup ahead of the Afghan presidential election this year.
While Pakistan insisted that Khan’s comments were “misinterpreted,” Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi described them as “irresponsible” and claimed they reflected Islamabad’s “interventional policy and disrespect to the national sovereignty and determination of the people of Afghanistan.”
As the United States and Taliban discuss the future of Afghanistan in Doha, however, the administration in Kabul is trying to find a way to negotiate with the militia group. So far, it has not succeeded, though some of its officials believe that Pakistan could help them achieve that objective.
“The NSA visit to Islamabad is taking place at a time of immense importance,” Safi said. “The US-Taliban talks are moving ahead in Qatar and Pakistan has played a leading role to set things in motion.”
The Afghan media recently quoted the spokesman of Afghan National Security Council Tariq Arian as saying that Mohib’s trip to Pakistan could provide fresh impetus to the Pak-Afghan relations.
“Mohib will discuss security, peace and counterterrorism issues with senior Pakistani officials and ministers,” he added.
The interaction between the officials of the two countries this week could also lead to the Afghan president’s visit to Islamabad, Safi said.
“These visits will have a positive impact on bilateral and regional situation,” he continued.
According to Irfanullah Khan, an expert on the Pak-Afghan relations, the two estranged neighbors should promote regional integration and economic development for the benefit of their people.
“These visits should be carried out more frequently,” he told Arab News. “The issues being faced by Islamabad and Kabul need a negotiated settlement.”
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s prime minister extended an invitation to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to visit his country in a telephonic exchange. When asked about the dates, Safi said they were being decided through diplomatic channels.
Afghan national security adviser to visit Islamabad on Tuesday
Afghan national security adviser to visit Islamabad on Tuesday
- NSA’s diplomatic engagements could lead to President Ghani’s Islamabad visit, says Afghan official
- Experts say officials of the two countries should hold such meetings more frequently
Sindh assembly passes resolution rejecting move to separate Karachi
- Chief Minister Shah cites constitutional safeguards against altering provincial boundaries
- Calls to separate Karachi intensified amid governance concerns after a mall fire last month
ISLAMABAD: The provincial assembly of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Saturday passed a resolution rejecting any move to separate Karachi, declaring its territorial integrity “non-negotiable” amid political calls to carve the city out as a separate administrative unit.
The resolution comes after fresh demands by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and other voices to grant Karachi provincial or federal status following governance challenges highlighted by the deadly Gul Plaza fire earlier this year that killed 80 people.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest and most densely populated city, is the country’s main commercial hub and contributes a significant share to the national economy.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah tabled the resolution in the assembly, condemning what he described as “divisive statements” about breaking up Sindh or detaching Karachi.
“The province that played a foundational role in the creation of Pakistan cannot allow the fragmentation of its own historic homeland,” Shah told lawmakers, adding that any attempt to divide Sindh or separate Karachi was contrary to the constitution and democratic norms.
Citing Article 239 of Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution, which requires the consent of not less than two-thirds of a provincial assembly to alter provincial boundaries, Shah said any such move could not proceed without the assembly’s approval.
“If any such move is attempted, it is this Assembly — by a two-thirds majority — that will decide,” he said.
The resolution reaffirmed that Karachi would “forever remain” an integral part of Sindh and directed the provincial government to forward the motion to the president, prime minister and parliamentary leadership for record.
Shah said the resolution was not aimed at anyone but referred to the shifting stance of MQM in the debate while warning that opposing the resolution would amount to supporting the division of Sindh.
The party has been a major political force in Karachi with a significant vote bank in the city and has frequently criticized Shah’s provincial administration over its governance of Pakistan’s largest metropolis.
Taha Ahmed Khan, a senior MQM leader, acknowledged that his party had “presented its demand openly on television channels with clear and logical arguments” to separate Karachi from Sindh.
“It is a purely constitutional debate,” he told Arab News by phone. “We are aware that the Pakistan Peoples Party, which rules the province, holds a two-thirds majority and that a new province cannot be created at this stage. But that does not mean new provinces can never be formed.”
Calls to alter Karachi’s status have periodically surfaced amid longstanding complaints over governance, infrastructure and administrative control in the megacity, though no formal proposal to redraw provincial boundaries has been introduced at the federal level.
