Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Saturday invited Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to visit Kabul that will mark the beginning of ‘comprehensive dialogue’ between the two countries, according to Ghani’s office.

President Ghani extended the invitation in his meeting with a Pakistani delegation headed by National Security Adviser Lt Gen (r) Nasser Khan Janjua in Kabul. Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul Zahid Nasrullah Khan and senior military officials also accompanied the adviser.

“Today, I received Pakistani NSA at Dilkusha Palace. As a follow-up to the Kabul Process, I have extended an official invitation to Pakistani prime minister to visit Afghanistan. This is to initiate state-to-state comprehensive dialogue,” President Ghani wrote on his Twitter account.

The meeting of the Kabul Process was held in Kabul on February 28 in which President Ghani had offered dialogue to the Taliban. Pakistan had endorsed Ghani’s offer. Taliban have not yet commented on Ghani fresh initiative, however they have dismissed such previous offers and called for direct talks with the United States.

The Afghan presidential palace in a statement issued after the meeting with Janjua said the Afghan side discussed President Ghani’s dialogue offer to the Taliban and the beginning of talks with Pakistan. Both sides also underlined the importance of regional connectivity and cooperation and fight against terrorist and criminal groups.

The NSA also met Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and explored ways to improve relations as well as the Afghan-led peace process.

* Ghani invites PM Abbasi to Kabul that will mark the beginning of ‘comprehensive dialogue’ between two countries * Janjua says Taliban have ‘no excuse’ for war after Ghani’s talks offer

Dr Abdullah said opportunities were there to establish good relations with Pakistan and that Islamabad should take benefit of these opportunities by taking some confidence building measures. He also raised the issue of rockets firing from Pakistan in some of Afghanistan’s eastern provinces. He said terrorist groups have their own specific agendas and that states should not use them for their objectives.

On his part, Janjua said Pakistan supports Kabul’s recent reconciliation move and is hopeful about its success. He said Pakistan is confident that the Pak-Afghan joint working groups will help remove all hurdles in the way of improvement of relations. He described the recent peace initiative as an unprecedented opportunity for peace and said Taliban have ‘no excuse and justification for continuation of war’. Both sides also discussed issue of a joint religious decree by the Pakistani and Afghan scholars to reject war in Afghanistan.

The national security adviser was invited by his Afghan counterpart Haneef Atmar for talks at a time when several initiatives are underway to encourage the Taliban join the intra-Afghan dialogue. “Both sides will work together and chalk out a way forward to improve bilateral relations and enhance cooperation particularly with reference to the peace initiative undertaken by the president of Afghanistan,” a statement from Janjua’s office had said on Friday.

Published in Daily Times, March 18^th 2018.