Afghanistan reconciliation council head Abdullah Abdullah reaches Islamabad
The chairperson of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, reached Islamabad on Monday morning for a three-day visit to Pakistan.
He was welcomed by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq at the Nur Khan Airbase.
Dr Abdullah was accompanied by a delegation of members of the High Council for National Reconciliation. The chairperson will be meeting Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser.
He has meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr Arif Alvi and will also deliver key-note speech at the Institute of Strategic Studies.
This is Dr Abdullah Abdullah’s first visit to Pakistan in his capacity as Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation. In a tweet on Monday, he said that the “visit will provide a unique opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on Afghanistan peace talks in Doha, and bilateral relations”.
Dr Abdullah added that he hopes the visit will open a new chapter of mutual cooperation at all levels, especially on achieving a lasting and dignified peace in Afghanistan.
Today I am travelling to Islamabad for three days official visit accompanied by a high-level delegation. During this visit I will meet Pakistan’s Prime Minister, President, Chairman of the Senate, Speaker of the National Assembly, Foreign Minister & other dignitaries.
— Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (@DrabdullahCE) September 28, 2020
Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan Dr. Abdullah Abdullah @DrabdullahCE arrived in Islamabad; Commerce Adviser @razak_dawood & Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq received him at Nur Khan airbase https://t.co/u6MqqYS6d3 pic.twitter.com/Jo3PphIHe6
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) September 28, 2020
Earlier this month, in a speech in Doha, the chairperson had said that a ceasefire was every Afghan’s demand. He had expressed his expectation of reaching a common ground with Pakistan over the matter.
The Foreign Office, in a statement said, “Pakistan attaches high importance to its fraternal ties with Afghanistan, rooted deep in shared history, faith, culture, values and traditions. Pakistan fully supports all efforts for peace, stability and prosperity of the Afghan people.”
On Saturday, September 26, the Washington Times posted an opinion piece written by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the Afghan peace talks. He said that Pakistan has arrived at a rare moment of hope for Afghanistan and for the region.
“We realized Pakistan will not know real peace until our Afghan brothers and sisters are at peace,” he wrote.
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