Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday reiterated commitment to support Afghan peace efforts. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, said Pakistan wanted peace in Afghanistan for regional stability. “I want to reaffirm that Pakistan values its brotherly and neighbourly relations with Afghanistan, and is firmly committed to continue serious efforts for long term peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said while addressing first meeting of the Quadrilateral Contact Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States on Afghan reconciliation process.
The meeting is aimed at pushing forward the peace process in Afghanistan. “The primary objective of the reconciliation process is to create conditions to bring the Taliban groups to the negotiation table and offer them incentives that can persuade them to move away from using violence,” said Mr Aziz. Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry were joined by Richard Olson, the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and General Anthony Rock, the top US defence representative in Pakistan, as well as China’s special envoy on Afghanistan affairs, Deng Xijun.
Decision about the quadrilateral coordination committee to push the peace process in Afghanistan was taken during a meeting of the four countries on the occasion of the Heart of Asia Conference held in Islamabad on December 9.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were present in that meeting, which was also attended by senior officials of China and United States. The first ever round of a quadrilateral meeting involving Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US aimed at reviving dialogue between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban is underway in Islamabad. Mr Aziz pointed out that the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia in Islamabad last month provided impetus to our quest for lasting peace in Afghanistan. He expressed confidence the meeting will be able to evolve an efficient procedural framework to provide the basis for smooth functioning of the group.
Analysts hope the added presence of China and the United States may help overcome mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan, though Taliban representatives themselves are not due to attend and it remains unclear when they will return to the negotiating table.
