PAKISTAN ARMY LEADERSHIP EMPHASISES REGIONAL APPROACH TO REGIONAL APPROACH

  Friday, 14 December 2018

source: shiitenews

The corps commanders conference called for dealing with terrorism through a regional approach and also hoped for success of US efforts for Afghan reconciliation process.
“(The) Forum highlighted importance of regional approach to eliminate roots of terrorism and attached hopes for success of ongoing Afghan reconciliation process while supporting all stakeholders to bring Afghan war to a peaceful logical conclusion,” an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement on the 216th corps commanders’ conference said.
The corps commanders’ conference, which is a monthly feature at the GHQ, this time specially focused on regional security and the situation on the eastern and western borders, including the Line of Control, while reviewing the geo-strategic environment. Additionally, the meeting took stock of the internal security situation and the ongoing security operations.
Voices hope for success of American efforts for Afghan reconciliation process
Pakistan renewed its commitment to facilitate the reconciliation process after US President Donald Trump last week wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking his government’s help for Afghan peace. Backing reconciliation in Afghanistan has been Islamabad’s longstanding position.
When the Trump administration intensified the efforts for seeking a negotiated settlement of the Afghan conflict and appointed Ambassa­dor Zalmay Khalilzad as the point-man for the initiative in September, Pakistani authorities, in a major gesture, released senior Taliban figure Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on US request to help the process.
Speaking at a press conference at the ISPR office, military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor had said last Thursday: “This political reconciliation must succeed. ... We wish that US leaves Afghanistan as friend of the region, not as a failure”. He had further said that Pakistan was taking “every step” needed to make the US succeed in its efforts for reconciliation. “We will facilitate it as much as we can,” he added.
While Taliban have held several meetings with US officials over the past few months, they have been categorically refusing to join talks with Kabul or become part of an intra-Afghan dialogue until there is a clear time frame for withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Afghanistan. The militants have, moreover, been continuing with attacks.