Islamabad: In what appears to be an ice-breaking move after months of tensions, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa (pictured) telephoned Afghanistan’s top political and military leadership on the New Year’s eve, pledging to work for peace in the region.
His maiden telephone interaction with Afghanistan’s president, chief executive and army chief is seen as the latest push by Pakistan to mend its ties with Kabul that in recent months have been strained by a growing trust deficit between the two neighbours.
Gen Qamar conveyed best wishes for 2017 to President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Army Chief General Qadam Shah Raheem, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“The COAS [chief of army staff] said peace in both countries is in the greater interest of the region,” the military’s media wing said in a statement, adding that the Afghan leadership invited Gen Qamar to visit Kabul.
The development came against the backdrop of tensions between the two neighbours primarily because of serious differences on how to deal with the problem of militancy as well as seeking a solution to the long-running conflict there.
Since the killing of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in July last year in a drone strike in Balochistan, the Afghan leadership has abandoned efforts to hold Pakistan-brokered talks with the insurgent group.
President Ghani and other Afghan leaders have been consistently accusing Pakistan of harbouring the Taliban and Haqqani network. Kabul insists that since the Taliban have refused to enter peace talks, time has come for Pakistan to use force against the insurgents.
Islamabad, however, is adamant that it does not harbour the Taliban and has emphasised that an all-inclusive peace process is the only viable option to end the over 15-year long unrest in Afghanistan.
The widening gulf between the two countries was the main reason that the fragile peace process involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States could not make any headway.
In fact after the killing of Mullah Mansoor on Pakistani soil, the Afghan president said his country would no longer seek help from Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
