PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Imran Khan urged all Afghan stakeholders to seize the “historic opportunity” and work toward an inclusive and comprehensive political agreement during a phone call with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday, adding that his country would fully support the decisions made by the Afghan people regarding their future.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of all Afghan parties working for reduction in violence leading to cease-fire,” said an official statement issued by the country’s foreign office after the conversation between the two leaders.
Khan also thanked Ghani for inviting him to Afghanistan, saying he would undertake the visit at the earliest opportunity.
In this file photo, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah speaks during the last day of the Loya Jirga, a grand assembly, at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul on Aug. 9, 2020. (Press Office of President of Afghanistan via AFP)
Meanwhile, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Afghan government’s delegation to peace negotiations with the Taliban, is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Monday to discuss with Pakistani leaders support for intra-Afghan talks and ways to improve bilateral relations, a top official said.
Abdullah will be in Pakistan on a three-day visit on Khan’s invitation while talks between senior Taliban leaders and Afghan officials are underway in Doha, Qatar, to chart out an agreement over the future political roadmap for Afghanistan and end a decades-old conflict in the war-torn country.
“We strive for regional countries to keep their support to navigate the peace process on a path to success,” Abdullah’s spokesman, Faraidoon Khawzoon, told Arab News over the phone from Doha on Thursday.
“After discussing the intra-Afghan peace process with top political and military leaders, Dr. Abdullah along with his delegation will deliberate with Pakistani officials ways to normalize overall political relations between the two countries,” Khawzoon said.
#LISTEN: Chairman @SapedarPalace expects countries to keep their support, ensuring #AfghanPeaceProcess is destined for success, says @Khwazoon, spokesman of @DrabdullahCE ahead of his visit to #Pakistan. || #Afghanistan
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Read special by @RehmatMehsuds: https://t.co/PnBYHeve5i pic.twitter.com/oPxWCQmfaP— Arab News Pakistan (@arabnewspk) September 25, 2020
According to PM Khan’s office, the premier last month invited the chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) to visit Pakistan “at the earliest” to “share perspectives” on advancing the Afghan peace process and forging closer ties between the two countries.
Irfanullah Khan, an expert on Pakistan-Afghan affairs, told Arab News that Abdullah’s visit is taking place at a crucial time for the peace talks.
“The latest phase of intra-Afghan talks involving the incumbent Afghan government and the Taliban is difficult. But it is not impossible ... The role of regional countries, including Pakistan, is of paramount importance to facilitate the peace negotiations.”
