Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday agreed to take effective action against fugitives and the irreconcilable elements posing security threats to either of the two countries, officials said.

Both countries reiterated their commitment to deny use of their respective territories by any country, network, group or individual for anti-state activities against either of the two states under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) – a joint action plan for cooperation in key areas of counter-terrorism and for reduction of violence and promotion of peace and reconciliation involving repatriation of refugees and joint economic development.

President Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi agreed on key principles to finalise the APAPPS during their meeting in Kabul on Friday, according to a statement issued by the Afghan Foreign Ministry. “The two countries will put in place a joint supervision, coordination and confirmation mechanism through liaison officers (LOs) for the realization of the agreed actions,” the statement read. “The two countries commit to avoid territorial and aerial violations of each other’s territory and both will avoid public blame game and instead use APAPPS cooperation mechanisms to respond to mutual issues of contention and concerns,” the statement added.

The two leaders also agreed to establish working groups and necessary cooperation mechanisms for full implementation of the APAPPS and the mutually reinforcing principles. Pakistan will support the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation, according the new agreed mechanism.

Earlier, Prime Minister Abbasi and President Ghani called on the Taliban insurgents to respond positively to the peace offer and join the peace process without further delay, officials said.

“Prime Minister Abbasi welcomed President Ghani’s vision for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and his offer of peace talks to Taliban,” the PM’s Office in Islamabad said. “They agreed that there was no military solution to the ongoing Afghan conflict and that the political solution was the best way forward,” the statement read.

Prime Minister Abbasi and President Ghani reiterated that terrorism was a common enemy and threat. Both leaders agreed not to allow their soils to be used for anti-state activities against each other.

They agreed that peace, prosperity and stability of the two countries were interlinked and reaffirmed their resolve to work together to address all issues of bilateral and transit trade. “They also expressed their firm resolve not to allow politics to affect their economic relationship which was important for the welfare of the peoples of the two countries,” the statement added.

The prime minister announced a gift of 40,000 tons of wheat for the Afghan people and also announced waiver of additional regulatory duty on Afghan export to Pakistan to help lift the Afghan economy. The two sides also agreed to initiate discussions on consular matters and exchange of civilian prisoners.

In Kabul, the presidential palace said Prime Minister Abbasi threw weight behind Afghan President Ghani’s peace dialogue offer to the Taliban insurgents and described Afghan-led peace as the only option for peace in Afghanistan. “The prime minister assured the Afghan leader of Pakistan’s cooperation in the reconciliation process,” Gahni’s palace said in a Pashto-language statement.

They reaffirmed their resolve to build trust and confidence between the two countries by working closely for peace, prosperity and stability in their countries. The presidential palace said President Ghani raised the issue of violations from the other side of the Durand Line with Pakistani prime minister and told him that the situation was not in the interest of anyone.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to regional connectivity as they had done in Herat in February while jointly inaugurating the TAPI gas pipeline project. They agreed to hold an early meeting of the joint economic commission to take forward planning and implementation of key rail, road, gas pipeline and energy projects that would integrate Pakistan and Afghanistan with Central Asia.

The two leaders also agreed to move forward on Chaman-Kandahar-Herat railway line, Peshawar-Kabul Motorway and other connectivity projects which can help realize the tremendous potential of South and Central Asian Regions by providing shortest access through the sea ports of Gwadar and Karachi. They emphasized on early completion of TAPI and CASA-1000 projects, which will import electricity from Central Asian states to Pakistan via Afghanistan.

The prime minister also met Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and both leaders discussed the entire range of bilateral matters.

Prime Minister Abbasi extended invitations to President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to visit Islamabad at their earliest convenience.

The prime minister also met with senior political leaders including Hiz-e-Islami Chief Gulbadin Hekmatyar, Chief of High Peace Council Ustad Karim Khalili and political leaders Ustad Mohaqiq and Pir Sayed Hamed Gailan and conveyed the support of the government and people of Pakistan to all ethnic groups in Afghanistan and underscored Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Published in Daily Times, April 7^th 2018.