Tuesday December 4, 2018
Kabul (BNA) Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Monday US President Donald Trump has sought its help with faltering Afghan peace talks in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, part of intensifying efforts by Trump to end one of America’s longest wars. Trump asked for Pakistan’s “support and facilitation” in negotiating an end to the war and offered to renew the strained relationship, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said. Later during the day, Imran said that Trump has written a letter to him seeking Pakistan’s assistance in peace talks with the Afghan Taliban and bringing them on the negotiating table. He told TV anchors that he received Trump’s letter on Monday morning. The US president, he said, lauded Pakistan’s role and stressed over achieving peace. Pakistan is ready to play its due role in ending the prolonged crisis, he said. The overture to Imran represents a sea change from Trump’s normally harsh rhetoric towards Pakistan, and will add to growing speculation that the United States is planning to pull out of Afghanistan in the near future.
The US president wants to bring to a close the 17-year-old conflict between Afghan security forces and the Taliban, who are fighting to drive out international forces and reestablish their version of strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster. US officials have long been pushing Pakistan to lean on Taliban leaders, who Washington says are based inside Pakistan, to bring them to the negotiating table. “He has asked for Pakistan’s cooperation to bring the Taliban into talks,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters. Trump told Imran the Pakistan relationship was very important to the United States and to finding a solution to the Afghanistan conflict, Chaudhry added. The US embassy in Islamabad had no immediate comment on the letter. Trump has been open about his desire to bring home about 14,000 US troops who remain in Afghanistan as part of Resolute Support and a separate counter-terrorism mission aimed against militant groups such as Al Qaeda and Daesh.
“President Trump has also acknowledged that the war had cost both USA and Pakistan. He has emphasized that Pakistan and USA should explore opportunities to work together and renew partnership,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. The ministry added that Pakistan is committed to playing “a facilitation role in good faith.” “Peace and stability in Afghanistan remain a shared responsibility.” Imran said that (since he became the prime minister) Pakistan has talked to the United States with respect and dignity. He said he has always believed only dialogue can bring stability in Afghanistan. Earlier, he said, Pakistan had been apologetic in its terms with the US but his government is very clear in its approach, he said, when questioned how after a recent exchange of heated tweets Trump has approached him. Meanwhile, the prime minister also said that snap elections could be held. Previously, the parliamentary polls were held only on July 25 this year.
UNEASY ALLIES
Officially allies in fighting terrorism, Pakistan and the United States have a complicated relationship, bound by Washington’s dependence on Pakistan to supply its troops in Afghanistan but plagued by accusations Islamabad is playing a double game. Last month, Trump said in an interview Pakistan doesn’t “do a damn thing” for the United States despite billions of dollars in US aid, adding that Pakistani officials knew of former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden’s location before his killing by US troops in a 2011 raid inside Pakistan. Imran hit back by saying the United States should not blame Pakistan for its failings in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials, who deny offering safe havens to the Afghan Taliban, say their influence on the group has waned over the years. Last week, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he had formed a 12-strong team to negotiate peace with the Taliban, but warned that implementation of any deal would take at least five years.
Gulftoday
