PAKISTAN gives due importance to its relations with Afghani
stan as well as peace and stability there and has proved sincerity by facilitating on-going Afghan peace process. Taking a step further, Islamabad has also joined a small yet important club of countries that have appointed special envoys on Afghanistan.
The appointment of seasoned diplomat Mohammad Sadiq as a special envoy for neighbouring country is an important decision vis-à-vis relations with Afghanistan and Afghan peace process. Mr Sadiq has in-depth knowledge of ground realities in Afghanistan as he remained ambassador there for six years and enjoys very good relations with important stakeholders in the war torn country. To his credit, he played an instrumental role in removing the mistrust between non-Pashtun parties of Afghanistan including Northern Alliance and others. Nonetheless, given the history of Pak-Afghan relations marred by mistrust, the new assignment will not be easy for the special envoy. His first task will be to stay in constant touch with Afghan authorities to build a relationship based on mutual trust and confidence. The vicious cycle of mistrust, often fed into by our common enemies, has affected our bilateral relationship. Hence, it is important that two sides address their concerns at the table of negotiations.
Most recently, an important development took place in bilateral relations when Gwadar port was used for Afghan Transit Trade. In fact, along with China, both Pakistan and Afghanistan can make this region hub of trade yet this dream cannot be fully realised unless Afghan peace process is taken to logical conclusion. Eid-ul-Fitr ceasefire and release of hundreds of Taliban prisoners by Afghan government are sort of initiatives that need to be taken forward along with shunning violence and for intra Afghan dialogue, all stakeholders should continue to play their positive role. Since Ambassador Sadiq has been part of efforts to bring Taliban to the table of negotiations with the US, we expect that his efforts will now be towards bringing the Taliban and Afghan government to negotiations. In this regard, his meetings with the US counterpart as well as Afghan authorities will be important in coming days.
