ISLAMABAD - United States President Donald Trump has appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s positive response on joint efforts for the solution of the Afghanistan issue, officials said.
Senior officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation that Trump had shown satisfaction with the recent visit of US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad to Pakistan.
One official said: “The US diplomats (at the State Department) have conveyed to us that President Trump is happy with the developments so far. He (Trump) appreciates Imran Khan’s positive response.”
Another official said the US had pledged to work as a team on the Afghanistan issue and try to ensure peace in the war-torn country. “This could be a new era of partnership. Efforts are being made to build trust (between the two countries),” he added.
Yesterday, Zalmay Khalilzad paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Imran Khan. “Conveying the good wishes of President Donald Trump to the Prime Minister, Ambassador Khalilzad said that US leadership looked forward to working with Pakistan in furthering the shared goal of peace through a political settlement in Afghanistan,” said an official statement.
The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s abiding interest in achieving peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan through political settlement. “Recalling his long personal commitment to the cause of peace in the region, he welcomed President Trump’s letter and the US assurance to work with Pakistan on this shared objective,” the statement added.
The Prime Minister also emphasised on the importance of intensifying regular engagement on priority areas in the bilateral context particularly trade, investment, education, health and social sector development, it said.
Earlier, Pakistan and the US agreed to work as a team to resolve the Afghanistan issue and hold reconciliation talks with the Taliban. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and discussed the Afghanistan issue. Qureshi assured Khalilzad that Pakistan will continue its cooperation with fair intentions for political reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Khalilzad’s visit came days after US President Trump wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking Islamabad’s support in securing a “negotiated settlement” to the war in Afghanistan.
This came as Washington stepped up efforts to hold peace talks with the Taliban, more than 17 years after the invasion of Afghanistan. In his letter, Trump said a settlement is “his most important regional priority”, the Pakistani foreign ministry stated. “In this regard, he has sought Pakistan’s support and facilitation”, it added.
Khalilzad, accompanied by an interagency delegation, will travel to Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar during his 18-day tour, from December 2 to 20.
A state department news release issued before his visit, said: “Special Representative Khalilzad will be in communication with President Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, and other Afghan stakeholders to coordinate closely on efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with the Afghan government and other Afghans.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a meeting with television anchors and journalists in the federal capital, had said that he received a letter from the US President where he urged Pakistan to play its role in Afghan peace talks. Trump also sought Pakistan’s assistance in bringing the Taliban leadership to the negotiating table, Prime Minister Khan maintained.
Trump’s letter to Imran Khan represented a sea change from Trump’s normally harsh rhetoric towards Pakistan, and will add to growing speculation that the US was planning to pull out of Afghanistan in the near future.
Ties between the US and Pakistan have been strained after the Trump hit out at the Pakistan for the alleged lacklustre approach in combating terrorism.
In an interview to the Fox News last month, Trump had said he cancelled assistance worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Pakistan this year because ‘they don’t do anything for us, they don’t do a damn thing for us.’ He claimed Bin Laden had lived ‘beautifully in Pakistan and what I guess in what they considered a nice mansion. I don’t know, I’ve seen nicer.’
PM Imran Khan hit back at Trump’s claim, calling upon the president to name an ally that has sacrificed more against militancy. “Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war and over $123 billion was lost to economy. US ‘aid’ was a miniscule $20 billion,” Khan tweeted.
Separately yesterday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation between Pakistan-China-Afghanistan for peace, connectivity, mutual development and economic prosperity.
Speaking at a ceremony to distribute books, school bags, stationary and items of winter clothing among 200 Afghan refugee children here, Qureshi highlighted the generous hospitality extended by the people of Pakistan to their Afghan brothers and sisters during the last four decades.
He said Pakistan ensured education facilities to the Afghan refugees at par with its own citizens and will continue to invest in the education of the refugee children as it is the real investment for a prosperous future of Afghanistan.
On this occasion, Ambassador of China Yao Jing appreciated Pakistan’s continued hospitality to millions of Afghan refugees and expressed his country’s desire to work for expanding trilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interests.
Afghan Charge d’Affaires Abdul Nasir Yousufi thanked Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees for almost four decades and stated that the trilateral cooperation will contribute towards peace and stability in Afghanistan.
SHAFQAT ALI
