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Imran Khan to visit Kabul; Afghan politicians seek direct talks with Pakistan
Pakistani officials said on Wednesday in a statement that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Kabul on Thursday to discuss the Afghan peace process with President Ashraf Ghani.
According to the statement, this is Khan’s first visit to Kabul as prime minister of Pakistan.
Afghan politicians meanwhile said Wednesday that they want direct talks with Pakistan over Kabul and Islamabad disagreements.
According to politicians, Pakistan has a key role in Afghanistan’s war and has the leverage to press the Taliban to agree to a reduction in violence.
“The international community should provide [Afghanistan] the opportunity to talk to Pakistani officials directly to solve our problems with them,” said Ahmad Wali Massoud, head of a political party.
According to Massoud, the current peace talks process is not on the right track, and that the international community should guarantee peace in Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately, the current efforts are for a political deal not for a peace deal. The intention for peace does not exist,” said Massoud.
Tahir Khan, a Pakistani journalist said that peace efforts will be at the top of the agenda between Ghani and Khan.
“During the trip, the current peace process and reduction in violence will be discussed, because there is a perception in Afghanistan that Pakistan has an influence on the Taliban that is rejected by the Taliban and Pakistan also does not accept this notion,” said Tahir Khan.
On the other hand, some politicians, who maintain relationships with the Taliban, said that the fate of the peace talks is not yet clear.
“If both sides do not reach a deal, we will be forced to intervene in the peace talks,” said Gul Rahman Qazi, Chairman of Afghanistan Council for Peace and Salvation.
This comes amid the stalled peace talks in Doha which started on September 12 and a serious increase in violence across the country.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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