On Saturday, NSA Dr Moeed Yusuf took an inter-ministerial delegation to Kabul on Saturday where he met with Afghanistan’s acting deputy prime minister Abdul Salam Hanafi along with other officials and members of local business community. According to sources, the purpose of this visit is to ascertain the humanitarian, economic and development needs of Afghanistan, in addition to other key bilateral issues. This visit comes at a critical juncture given the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the precarious internal security situation in Pakistan.
What is encouraging is the fact that the Deputy Afghan Prime Minister unequivocally stated that Afghan soil will not be used against its neighbours, including Pakistan. This assurance comes during a spike in attacks by the TTP whose leadership is said to be based in Afghanistan. While this statement is welcome, we still have to see the results on the ground since this has been promised in the past as well. Among other security issues, it is believed that the border fencing issue will also be addressed during this visit.
The two sides also discussed the need to promote trade, transit and connectivity. Investment opportunities were evaluated in Afghanistan’s energy and agriculture sectors, in addition to stressing the importance of implementing major regional projects that connect Pakistan and Afghanistan to Central Asia. It is good know that the two sides have agreed on an action plan with a timeline to complete a number of projects and initiatives.
The successful realisation of these projects will of course benefit both countries and the larger region, but they are particularly important for the economic stabilisation of Afghanistan. Apart from the bilateral channel, Pakistan has also been facilitating assistance to Afghanistan through international organisations, particularly the UN and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The establishment of the OIC Trust Fund can be very helpful going forward and the UN’s continued advocacy for humanitarian aid is extremely crucial at this time. The Afghan government lacks the capacity and resources at this time to deal with the crisis that is brewing—which is getting worse with the onset of winter—and it needs all the support it can get from the international community to avert a humanitarian disaster.​
Source: Published in The Nation