Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will travel to Afghanistan
tomorrow on a day-long visit during which he is likely discuss a range
of issues, including ways to facilitate talks with the Taliban.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said Abbasi was visiting Kabul on an invitation of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
"The
Prime Minister's visit is taking place in the backdrop of Pakistan's
support to President Ghani's offer of peace talks with the Taliban for
lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and strengthening bilateral
engagement," it said.
Abbasi will have in-depth consultations
with Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on matters of
mutual interest, including strengthening bilateral political, economic,
security and counter-terrorism cooperation, return of Afghan refugees,
combating drug production and narco-trade, Afghan peace process and
regional political and security situation.
He will also meet senior Afghan political leaders.
Pakistan
will continue to support Afghanistan's developments efforts through
capacity building in infrastructure, educational and health sectors in
Afghanistan. Pakistan also aspires to deepen people-to-people contacts,
the statement said.
Prime Minister Abbasi would also discuss with
the Afghan leadership ways to facilitate travel between the two
countries, assist education and medical treatment of Afghan nationals in
Pakistan and expand trade and transit facilitation between the two
countries.
To promote regional economic integration, the two
countries are participating in key trans-regional initiatives namely
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and Central
Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000).
Abbasi
recently joined the Afghan president in Herat to inaugurate the TAPI
gas pipeline project. The two sides are also engaged in undertaking
major bilateral rail-road connectivity projects.
The objective of
Abbasi's visit to Afghanistan is to strengthen the positive momentum in
bilateral relations and help augment joint endeavours in the pursuit of
durable peace, stability and economic prosperity in the two countries,
and the region, according to FO statement.
Afghanistan and the US
have blamed Pakistan for allegedly providing safe havens to elements of
the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network. Pakistan denies the charge,
alleging that it is Afghan forces that offer sanctuary to elements of
the Pakistani Taliban. PTI
