Daily Times

KABUL: Delegates at a Pakistan-Afghanistan track-II dialogue in Kabul have backed the recently launched bilateral dialogue mechanism and urges both countries to avoid blame game.

The dialogue issued a joint declaration, urging Pakistan and Afghanistan to sign an agreement for repatriation of citizens and prisoners.

The Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Committee (PAJC) Beyond Boundaries Phase=III was held Kabul on June 24. Earlier meetings were held in Kabul on December 15, 2017, and Islamabad on February 26, 2018, respectively.

The bilateral PAJC dialogue included interactive discussions on peace and security, positive bilateral developments, including recent high-level visits, revival of formal contacts under the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), review of the status of Afghan refugees, bilateral and transit trade and the role of media on both sides in promoting better bilateral relations and preventing misperceptions and negative narratives.

Haroon Rashid, senior adviser to national security adviser (NSA), briefed the PAJC on the framework of the APAPPS, while Khyber Farahi, senior adviser to president on migration and social development, briefed the delegates about the latest situation of refugees.

The PAJC groups unanimously supported and welcomed the recent high level bilateral visits and the recently concluded APAPPS framework. The groups also welcomed commitment by both governments to refrain from blame games as they pursue the new dialogue framework.

The delegates advised both the governments to restrain official spokespersons of the two governments from making knee jerk statements in situations involving the two countries. It was suggested that given the sensitivities, both sides should avoid instant reaction to any untoward incident.

The delegates also urged the two countries to hold the long-delayed meeting of the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Coordinating Agency (APTTCA) at the earliest to improve the framework governing the transit trade.

The declaration recommended that the two countries should work towards ease-of-doing-business at international crossing and upgrade physical infrastructure and services for traders, clearance mechanisms and expansion of entry and exit points to facilitate the growing human and cargo traffic via main crossing points.

It was shared that the governments should also facilitate media interactions and disseminate through the media the progress being made under APAPPS to help correct negative narratives.

Beyond Boundaries, a joint initiative led by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Studies and Peace (OESP), is aimed at improving and expanding people-to-people contact in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The delegates also met Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Hizb-e-Islami Chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar where both leaders called for improved relations between the two countries.

Published in Daily Times, June 26^th 2018.