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‘Ice breaks’— Gen Bajwa, Pompeo discuss Afghanistan
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spoken by phone with Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the process of political reconciliation in Afghanistan and other issues involving bilateral relations. A statement released on Thursday by State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo and Gen Bajwa “discussed ways to advance […]
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spoken by phone with Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the process of political reconciliation in Afghanistan and other issues involving bilateral relations.
A statement released on Thursday by State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo and Gen Bajwa “discussed ways to advance US-Pakistan bilateral relations, the need for political reconciliation in Afghanistan and the importance of targeting all militant and terrorist groups in South Asia without distinction.”
This was the first interaction between the US new secretary of state and the Pakistan’s army chief which came amid uneasy relations between the two estranged allies. Only last month, the two countries imposed tit-for-tat travel restrictions on each other’s diplomats suggesting a new low in their troubled ties.
At the heart of the controversy are the differences between the two sides on how to put an end to the lingering conflict in Afghanistan. Despite Pakistan’s multiple operations in the tribal areas against militant groups, the US is still not convinced that Islamabad has taken out all outfits, particularly the Haqqani Network which is responsible for most deadly attacks on US-led forces in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the two countries are looking for a common ground on Afghanistan.
The understanding between Pompeo and Gen Bajwa on the need for political reconciliation in Afghanistan coincides with President Ghani’s announcement of a ceasefire with the Taliban till June 20. The Afghan president, however, has made it clear that fighting against other militant groups such as Islamic State would continue.
Pakistan hosted the first direct peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban in 2015, but they ended when Kabul announced the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar.
Washington has talked up the prospects for peace many times and Pakistan has said it will help to ensure its neighbour’s stability. Earlier this year, US had assured Pakistan that it does not want to sever bilateral ties with its ‘important ally’ while Islamabad extended its ‘wholehearted support’ to the US-backed Afghan offer of peace talks with the Taliban.
The statements had supplemented renewed efforts to improve relations between the US and Pakistan which were once close allies in the war against terror.
Published in Daily Times, June 8th 2018.
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