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But fighting terrorism was not only Pakistan’s responsibility and international and Afghan forces should also expedite their efforts to overcome this menace.
The struggle to uproot extremism was described as a battle for hearts and minds and it was acknowledged that it would take time to achieve this objective. The emergence of extremism in South Asia was linked to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan when groups from around the world were brought to the region to fight the Soviet forces. Better coordination among the forces combating extremists and better and quick intelligence sharing were needed to tackle this problem, the audience was told.
Pakistan was already taking difficult steps to combat terrorism and for the first time in recent history we have sent regular troops to the tribal area. Pakistan was taking these steps because it believed that having peace in Afghanistan was in its own interest. Peace in Afghanistan could also pave the way for the return of Afghan refugees.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, chairman of Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, has said that being partners in the war against terrorism, Pakistan and Afghanistan should avoid making accusations against each other.
“Instead of accusing each other and raising baseless allegations, both Pakistan and Afghanistan should join hands against their common enemy of terrorism and extremism. Let’s avoid the blame game,” he said, while addressing a dinner reception for a media delegation from Afghanistan, at Parliament House.
He said that Pakistan would continue its support for peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan to maintain regional stability. He added that Pakistan wanted to strengthen economic and trade ties with Afghanistan. “The destinies of the two countries are intertwined.”
He said Pakistan wanted a strong, stable, progressive and prosperous Afghanistan because it was in the interests of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also welcomed Afghanistan’s membership to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
He said Pakistan had provided consistent support to Afghanistan in its reconstruction efforts to achieve peace, stability and prosperity. “The two countries have a deep rooted relationship based on shared history, culture, common faith and economic interdependence.”
Mushahid said that Pakistan had been playing a stabilizing role in a region facing many challenges. “Pakistan has been trying to promote mutually beneficial economic relations across the region to create inter-dependencies.”
He said Pakistan was located at the confluence of three important regions of the world – South Asia, Central Asia and China – and provided the shortest access to the sea for all landlocked countries of Central Asia including Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan’s geo-strategic location had revitalized the country’s role in the promotion of multi-sector and inter-regional cooperation, which was the basis for peace and prosperity in the region.
He said Pakistan had hosted millions of Afghan refugees during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, of which two million were still living in Pakistan. “Pakistan has maintained friendly relations with the Karzai government in Afghanistan, and provided diplomatic, political and financial support to it.”
He said that trade between the two countries has been increasing and it was now more than $1.2 billion and over 60,000 Pakistanis were working in Afghanistan. He regretted that some elements were trying to create tension and misunderstandings between the two countries. He said these forces wanted to destabilize Afghanistan and oftentimes used the media to create misunderstandings between the two countries. He urged the media to play a proactive role in promoting harmony and understanding between the two governments.
He said that gas pipeline networks between Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and other countries of the region would provide a chance to further promote friendly relations.
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