Afghan President Receives Unexpected Welcome in Pakistan

[ArsalanKhan21]

The criminals and terrorists sponsored by both Pakistan's ISI and Afghanistan's NDS have soured the relationship between two brotherly countries. I hope that we will enter era of cooperation and both Pakistan and Afghanistan have to get rid of traitors from ISI and NDS.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/world/asia/afghanistan-pakistan-ashraf-ghani-visit.html?_r=0

Asia Pacific
Afghan President Receives Unexpected Welcome in Pakistan
By ROD NORDLANDDEC. 9, 2015

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan, right, greeted President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, left, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Wednesday. Credit Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Afghan political advisers warned President Ashraf Ghani not to smile when he came here on Wednesday, but he soon found that to be hard going.

As the Afghan president stepped off his plane at the airport, he appeared surprised to discover that the greeting party far exceeded the demands of protocol: The Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and the country’s military chiefs were on hand, along with many other dignitaries, and an honor guard blasted a 21-gun salute.

It was the sort of welcome normally reserved for prominent allies, like the president of China or the king of Saudi Arabia, not for the leader of the neighboring country with which Pakistan has been in a war of words, if not more, for years — and which has taken a turn for the worse in recent months.

Mr. Ghani had been under intense pressure not to visit, even though he was the co-host, with Pakistan, of the Heart of Asia conference, an annual gathering of officials from Asian and other countries. The meeting was billed as an attempt to promote economic and security cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbors, and was set to be attended by officials from every country in South and Central Asia.

The warm welcome was a clear measure that Pakistan badly wants to mend that relationship.

As many Afghans watched Mr. Ghani’s arrival on television, he smiled a bit, and he thanked Mr. Sharif profusely for the warm welcome.

But in a speech shortly later, he reiterated criticism that Pakistan had failed to deprive the Taliban of havens here.

“We are fighting on behalf of all of you, but we are the ones who are suffering some of the worst atrocities,” Mr. Ghani said.

A Facebook posting by Amrullah Saleh, the former intelligence chief of Afghanistan and an ardent critic of Pakistan, on the eve of the visit was representative of views expressed in his country.

“Any member of the Afghan delegation who is found smiling in individual or group photos in the Islamabad conference will be degrading the blood of our 8,000 casualties in 2015,” Mr. Saleh said. He was apparently referring to Afghan police and military fatalities, which have increased greatly this year.

Mr. Ghani suffered a major political setback when he announced plans early this year to repair relations with Pakistan, an effort to bring about peace talks that Islamabad has made clear it is willing to facilitate.

Then, over the summer, the Afghans discovered that the Pakistanis were arranging for them to, in effect, negotiate with a dead man, as news leaked out that the Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar had been dead for two years.

Many felt the leak was a deliberate move by the country’s National Directorate of Security, which, like Mr. Saleh, has long opposed better relations with Pakistan. Scuttling the talks led Mr. Ghani to reject his earlier efforts to reconcile with Pakistan.

Only in recent weeks have there been tentative steps to restart peace talks with the Taliban, and Afghanistan’s Western allies believe Pakistan would be crucial to any such process.

Mr. Ghani’s government had demanded, but failed to receive, a series of guarantees from Pakistan before resuming warmer relations, a development that created pressure to skip the one-day conference.

The exact demands are not known, but they are believed to include guarantees to remove Taliban havens in Pakistan, measures to improve the treatment of Afghan refugees, and a pledge to refuse to treat Taliban wounded in Pakistani hospitals.

The United States government pressed hard for Mr. Ghani not to boycott the meeting. Some Afghan officials felt their leader had no choice, considering the strong pressure from its allies.

“His attendance, despite not seeing any progress from Pakistan, suggests that there are pressures from the donor countries in the West and China that he has to answer to,” said Abdul Qayoum Sajjadi, a member of the foreign relations committee of the Afghan Parliament.

Mujib Mashal contributed reporting from Kabul, and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud from Islamabad.

 

[arif hamza]

Dove pagal de puttar !

They feel shame wearing shalwar qamiz !

 

[Sher Malang]

Good development.

 

[ArsalanKhan21]

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/201...n-a-neighbour-for-pakistan-nawaz-tells-ghani/

Afghanistan is more than a neighbour for Pakistan, Nawaz tells Ghani
BY Mian Abrar

• Finalisation of border management SoPs will help check movement of terrorists across border, says Nawaz
• Ghani invites armed groups to surrender weapons and become part of political process
• Recent events in Pakistan have forced Afghanistan to host 350,000-500,000 Pakistani refugees, says Ghani

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for collective and coordinated measures on the regional front to ensure irreversible successes in the war on terror.

While inaugurating the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial conference in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, along with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the prime minister said the emergence of new terror groups such as Da’ish should strengthen our resolve against terrorism and ensure that gains in the struggle against the menace are durable.

Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan has demonstrated an unflinching resolve to wipe out terrorists from its soil. The consensus based military operation and the National Action Plan have been delivering results and successful in coping with terrorism and extremism.

He quoted great philosopher poet Allama Iqbal who described Afghanistan as the Heart of Asia and a pivot for peace, stability and prosperity for the entire region. In keeping with this vision, he said Pakistan attaches great importance to the Heart of Asia conference as a forum for sustainable peace through development in Afghanistan, our region and beyond.

He said the theme of this conference “enhanced cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the heart of Asia region” reflects our desire for promoting regional development, increasing economic and trade linkages and meeting security challenges.

Nawaz Sharif said Afghanistan is more than a neighbour for Pakistan as both the countries have historic cultural and religious affinities.

“During the past half a century, external interventions have seriously eroded peace, stability and socio-political cohesion of the Afghan society. It is important that efforts for durable peace and stability should hinge upon respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inherent values of Afghan society,” the prime minister said.

The prime minister said that Pakistan will always stand by Afghanistan. He said that the international community respects the sovereignty and integrity of Afghanistan. He said that the democratically elected government in Afghanistan is the legitimate authority in the country. He said that the enemies of Afghanistan are the enemies of Pakistan and the government will continue to support an Afghan led and Afghan owned peace process that remains the most viable option to promote stability and end violence.

Nawaz Sharif called upon the international community to extend full support for Afghan peace efforts.

“It is our firm belief that a robust and meaningful reconciliation process owned and led by Afghans, is vital for long term peace and stability in Afghanistan. I would like to reiterate Pakistan’s commitment and desire to facilitate the resumption of the stalled reconciliation process. In this regard, Pakistan is ready to extend support to a meaningful process, wherein both the Afghan Government and the Taliban can move forward, in a spirit of accommodation and reconciliation,” he said.

The prime minister deeply appreciated the support from all friendly countries for the Afghan reconciliation process.

“We believe that the association of China and the US in the reconciliation process has been instrumental in moving the process forward. Pakistan looks forward to continued engagement in achieving positive results in the reconciliation process,” he stressed.

He said the finalisation of border management SoPs between Pakistan and Afghanistan will help in checking movement of terrorists across the border. He said our efforts for long-term stability in Afghanistan envisage the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland in a dignified manner. He said massive cross border movement of Afghan refugees constitutes a security risk, which has been exploited by the miscreants for their nefarious designs.

The prime minister said Pakistan is pursuing the policy of peaceful neighbourhood, as peace is vital for development and stability.

“Working for the achievement of a peaceful neighbourhood is a cardinal principle of Pakistan’s foreign policy. We firmly believe that peace is vital for development and development is vital for durable peace. Adhering to these principles, Pakistan remains committed to strengthening its relations with all its neighbours and regional countries, as well as promoting regional cooperation and connectivity,” he emphasised.

In his remarks on the occasion, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani appreciated Pakistan for launching operation Zarb-e-Azb against the terrorists. He said his country desires strong people-to-people contacts with Pakistan for further strengthening of relations and mutual trust. He thanked Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghan refugees on its territory over the last many decades.

Ashraf Ghani pointed out that TAPI is a very important regional energy project, which will soon be inaugurated in Turkmenistan. CASA 100 project will also bring the people of the region closer together.

Ashraf Ghani said terrorism is a common problem of Pakistan and Afghanistan as both the countries have suffered immensely in the war against this menace and there is a need to evolve a mechanism to identify terrorist abettors. He said the responsibility rests with the entire international community to combat terrorism and violent extremism. He said we should avoid blame game and evolve a multidimensional strategy for peace.

“Unfortunately, recent events in Pakistan have forced us to host close to 350,000 to 500,000 Pakistani refugees on our soil. The refugee issue is a common issue, like other issues that confront us,” Ghani said.

He presented a run-down of the part Afghanistan played to establish regional cooperation in 2015, including TAPI, CASA1000 that would pass through Afghanistan and said the country is rapidly moving towards regional integration towards Central Asia, East Asia and West Asia.”

“By contrast, our ambitious projects of cooperation for transit and linkages to Pakistan have still remained at the level of conception and aspiration. I hope this conference results in significant movement in this domain.”

He said 36 per cent of Afghans live below the poverty line of $1.25. If the line were $2, he said, almost 70pc of Afghans would be below it.

“Poverty elimination is our most significant goal and I’m convinced that regional cooperation could allow us to have the types of growth that can help tackle the most fundamental weakness, the poverty and exclusion of women, youth and the poor.”

Speaking of the political transition in Afghanistan, he said, “We took the unusual step of forming a government of national unity.”

“We have learned from 300 years of discord that politics must become a win-win formula, not a lose-lose proposition and that is an important part of the new political culture.

“As part of this again I strongly reiterate our commitment to lasting and just peace within which all movements that resort to arms convert themselves to political parties and participate in the political process legitimately,” he said.

“Violence is not the way in a democratic society,” Ghani asserted.

The Afghan president also invited the armed groups to surrender weapons and become part of political process.

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

Improving relation between two neighbour is win win situation for boht. Afghan leaders change statements like clothes . This Ghani guy acted sane in the beginning and then started behaving like crazy karzai. Sincerity has to be shown from boht sides instead of this balme game..let see how long this love last