Friends with Afghanistan

The Afghan reconciliation process, which Pakistan says should be led and owned by the people of Afghanistan, has finally got underway in Kabul. Similarly, the Doha initiative is also reportedly making some progress. This is all made possible by the joint commitment shown by the new government in Afghanistan led by Dr Ashraf Ghani and the Pakistani leadership – both civilian and military.
One must say that Operation Zarb-e-Azb has played a decisive role in bringing the two sides to work jointly for peace in the region. On the one hand the operation successfully dislodged terrorists from their last bastion of North Waziristan while on the other hand it facilitated peace talks to a great extent. Now the US is also thinking of keeping some of its troops in Afghanistan for an extended period. The level of trust between the leadership of Pakistan and Afghanistan can be judged from the fact that Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah has declared that ‘Pakistan’s foe is our foe’. If this spirit continues then there is no doubt peace will return to the region soon.
Mansaf Ali Abro
Larkana