ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Hezb-e-Wahdat-e Islami party of Afghanistan, Karim Khalili, arrived in Islamabad today, Monday, on a three-day visit that will focus on ongoing peace talks between the Kabul government and Taliban insurgents.
Khalili’s visit is part of Pakistan’s ongoing policy to reach out to a broad base of political leaders in Afghanistan “to forge common understanding on the Afghan peace process and deepen people-to-people linkages,” the foreign office said in a curtain raiser on Sunday.
During the visit, the Afghan delegation will call on Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as meet Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other dignitaries.
“Ustad Karim Khalili is an important Afghan political leader and head of Herb-e-Wahdat, a leading political party in Afghanistan. Our engagement with him and his party is part of Pakistan’s policy of across-the-board engagement with all important Afghan leaders and stakeholders,” Ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan, Mansoor Khan, told Arab News on Monday.
Hizb-e-Islami Chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar also visited Pakistan in October, weeks after Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, made a trip to Islamabad.
“We have been engaged with him [Khalili] for many weeks to plan his visit to Pakistan for discussions about progress in the Afghan peace process and strengthening of people-to-people engagement with Afghanistan,” the envoy said. “Ustad Khalili had also visited Pakistan in the past.”
“Pakistan remains steadfast in its support for an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political solution of the conflict in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,” the foreign office statement on Sunday said.
The Wahdat party aims to represent Afghanistan's Hazara Shia community. There have been reports that Khalili’s visit is linked to the murders earlier this month of 11 Hazara Shia coal miners in Pakistan, which were claimed by Daesh. The Afghan foreign ministry has said 7 of the 11 miners were Afghan migrant workers.
Leader of Afghanistan’s Hezb-e Wahdat party begins Pakistan visit
https://arab.news/yrsaf
Leader of Afghanistan’s Hezb-e Wahdat party begins Pakistan visit
- Khalili is on a three-day trip that will focus on peace talks between the Kabul government and Taliban insurgents
- His delegation will meet the Pakistani PM, foreign minister, national assembly speaker and other leaders
Pakistan says Roosevelt Hotel deal still being structured after PIA sale
- The century-old Manhattan hotel is among state-owned properties under review as Islamabad pushes a privatization drive
- Pakistan said this year it was examining multiple options after international media reported the hotel’s possible demolition
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday the government was working on structuring a transaction for the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, a day after a leading Pakistani consortium bought a majority stake in Pakistan International Airlines, as Islamabad presses ahead with efforts to offload loss-making state assets.
Asif’s comments came after the Arif Habib Group acquired 75 percent of PIA for Rs 135 billion ($482 million), marking the government’s first major privatization deal in years and reviving focus on the future of other high-value state-owned assets, including the Roosevelt Hotel, which is owned by PIA through its investment arm.
The hotel, a century-old Manhattan property located near Grand Central Terminal, Times Square and Fifth Avenue, is considered one of Pakistan’s most valuable overseas assets, though it was closed in 2020 due to heavy losses. Asked about the future of the property following the PIA privatization, Asif told Geo TV it was still a work in progress.
“The shape of the transaction is being made,” he said, adding that a previous offer of around $375 million had not materialized.
Pakistan’s privatization plans for the Roosevelt have faced repeated delays.
Earlier this year, Muhammad Ali, adviser to the prime minister on privatization, said the government was examining multiple options after Bloomberg reported plans for its demolition.
Ali said there were various options on the table, including continuing hotel operations or entering a joint venture in which Pakistan would contribute the land while a partner brings in equity.
The government also said it wanted to complete the Roosevelt Hotel’s privatization this year, though the plan does not seem close to completion.
