By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday pledged his country would never ally itself to an enemy of neighbor Afghanistan.
Speaking during a visit to Kabul, Sharif vowed not to allow Pakistan territory to be used to launch attacks on its northern neighbor. Afghanistan has regularly accused Pakistan of harboring Taliban militants across the border.
“Pakistan has the highest stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan,” Sharif told journalists after a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “We stand in strong solidarity with Afghanistan. I assure you that the enemies of Afghanistan cannot be friends of Pakistan.”
Ghani hopes Sharif will co-operate in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict with the Taliban and following the presidential palace meeting Sharif acknowledged the threats posed by terrorism to both countries.
“We agreed that our bilateral relationship will continue to be guided by the policy of non-interference,” Sharif said.
“We will not allow our respective territories to be used against the other and Afghanistan’s enemies will be treated as Pakistan’s enemies and Pakistan’s enemies will be treated as Afghanistan’s enemies.”
The prime minister said his government supported the Afghan-led peace process.
“Pakistan and Afghanistan would succeed in rooting out the menace of terrorism through their firm determination and by adopting a comprehensive and coordinated strategy,” the Pakistani leader went on.
Earlier this month, Afghan officials met Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, for an informal meeting – a move seen as part of a plan to bring the militants to the negotiating table with Pakistan playing a key role.
Ghani is seen as the architect of a new policy of engagement with regional partners, especially Pakistan. He highlighted the threat posed by terrorism to the region.
“Our security forces are fighting for the security of the entire region, not only Afghanistan. Friendship with Afghanistan would be determined by who stands with us now,” Ghani said.
Some Afghan analysts remain skeptical of Pakistan’s motives towards Afghanistan. Political commentator Waheed Mujda believes Islamabad has failed to demonstrate its control over the Taliban or reduce attacks on Afghanistan from Pakistani soil.
“Last time when Ghani met Sharif, Pakistan promised that positive signs would be in view very soon but what we are witnessing on the ground is totally the opposite,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Former spokesman for Ghani's predecessor, Aimal Faizi, has been critical of Ghani’s policies towards Pakistan.
“It not only impedes the improvement of the security situation in Afghanistan but also seems to have caused a U-turn in Kabul's relations with New Delhi,” Faizi said in his latest column.
