Senate committee meets terms Kabul visit a success
- September 17, 2013, 6:41 pm
- National News
- 101 Views
Islamabad, September 17 (Online): Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit-Baltistan, Tuesday, termed recent visit to Kabul as success.
The committee met here with Senator Haji Mohammad Adeel in the Chair to discuss recent visit of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence to Afghanistan.
The Committee was attended by Senators Dr. Mohammad Jehangir Badar, Farhatullah Babar, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Syeda Sughra Imam and Senator Molana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri as Members and Senator Afrasiab Khattak as a special invitee.
The meeting focused on the recent visit of the Parliamentary delegation to Kabul in which members shared their experiences regarding current situation of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. The meeting was also attended by Acting Secretary, Additional Secretary (Afghanistan) and Director General, NASA from the Foreign Office.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Haji Mohammad Adeel at the outset said that this delegation during its meetings in Kabul achieved remarkable break through in terms of people to people contacts and had heart-to-heart communication with Afghan people. The Afghan President and Afghan Leadership extended a very warm welcome to the Pakistan’s delegation.
He further said that Afghans understand Pakistan people’s mindset very clearly. He provided copies of Joint Declaration of Pakistan Afghan Defence Committee’s Dialogue (Sept. 10-11, 2013), Kabul, Afghanistan to participants of the Committee. He stated that Pakistan freed 26 or 27 Afghans but latest news about them is that these freed people have gone back to resume fight on different locations/war fronts.
Senator Mushahid stated that it was a very unique delegation comprising different political parties of opposition & government and that it was first dialogue on defence, Security and military issues. He said that we have institutionalized the dialogue. He further observed that the said visit dispelled the compression-that-India is prevailing in Afghanistan.
He said that both Taliban and the U.S. are waiting for elections in Afghanistan. He informed that a Pakistan-Afghanistan People’s Association was formed doing the visit with Senator Afrasiab Khattak as the Chairman and Senator Dr. Jehangir Badar as Secretary-General. First festival of this Association will be held in Kabul on 26th, 27th and 28th Oct, 2013.
Senator Afrasiab Khattak stated that the delegation had very cordial and meaningful talks at Kabul and there was no blame game. He said that Afghans have a lot of expectations from Nawaz Sharifs’ Government regarding peace efforts for Afghanistan.
Senator Dr. Jehangir Badar stated that visit to Kabul was very timely. He opined that stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan is inter-twined. Senator Farhatullah Babar stated that the said visit was a path-breaking.
He proposed that on 23rd Sept. 2013, on occasion of visit by Afghan delegation to Pakistan, a Pak-Afghan Joint Parliamentary Committee should be formed to establish a hotline between the two neighbours to tackle post 2014 and immediate post-2014 problems. Secondly, he emphasized upon Border Management issues which often harm people to people contacts.
Thirdly, he said that people’s Festival on 26th Oct. should be institutionalized and comprise of intellectuals, Writers, Poets and Journalists which will have a multiplayer effect. We should evolve an institutional mechanism for regular exchange of intellectuals between the two countries. He said it was very reassuring to know that Pakistan has no danger from India in Afghanistan.
He said in post-2014 scenario, Pakistan will have a dominant and strategic role. He suggested that a joint Pak-Afghan Parliamentary Commission should improve oversight of their respective security establishments for post-2014 scenario. Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Senator Sughra Imam also expressed their point of on view on the Pak-Afghanistan relations and the US influence in the region.
