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Pak-Afghan ties can strengthen through dialogue: US-Islamic World Forum

 

Category: Pakistan
Published on Tuesday, 11 June 2013 01:43
Written by Alina Mehmood

 

Foreign affairs of Pakistan and Afghanistan are intricately interlinked and both countries need serious discussion on every level before devising their foreign policies. Afghanistan is a war-struck country and has greatly suffered at the hands of militants and external forces while Pakistan has been suffering through the perpetual turbulence in its neighbourhood.


Representatives from both countries voiced their opinions and presented an overview of the strategies at a session – Transitions in Afghanistan and Pakistan – at the 10th US-Islamic World Forum “A Decade of Dialogue”.


Husain Haqqani expressed his views about Pakistan while Amrullah Saleh clarified the stance of Afghanistan. After hearing the arguments from both sides, the forum concluded that both countries should consider solving their problems through dialogue.


Husain Haqqani is a former Pakistani envoy who is also a professor at Boston University. Haqqani said Pakistan fears that just like in the 80s, the US again would abandon Afghanistan to deal on its own after the foreign troops pull out in 2014. He said that the key to stability in this region is not combat but dialogue with Afghan Taliban.


On the other hand, Amrullah Saleh said that the Afghan war is between democratic space backed by US and extremist groups, the Taliban and al-Qaeda, backed by Pakistan — this war is not ending. He said the Americans claim that they are tired of fighting this war for over a decade but they fail to understand what Afghanis have went through during the last 35 years. He also accused America for not having targeted a single significant leader of Afghan Taliban except Mullah Dadullah who was executed in 2007.

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