Pak-Afghan military relations

Muhammad Jamil

High profile visits between Islamabad and Kabul have helped address the issue of cross-border militancy, and there is visible improvement in cooperation and coordination between the two countries. Frequent visits by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and meetings with President Ashraf Ghani, Afghan defence minister and Afghan military top brass have overcome the decades-long mistrust between the two brotherly countries. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are at their best. Afghan Army Chief Sher Mohammad Karimi was on two-day visit to Pakistan. He visited General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi on Friday and met Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Afghan Chief of General Staff was presented with guard of honor on his arrival.

He discussed security situation of the region especially Afghanistan with General Raheel Sharif and exchanged views on promoting cooperation in defense and training areas. Addressing the 132nd passing out parade of Pakistan Military Academy on Saturday, where first batch of six Afghan cadets, Afghan Army Chief Sher Mohammad Karimi emphasized that Pakistan and Afghanistan must cooperate closely in order to rid the region of the menace of terrorism. General Karimi has the distinction of being the first foreign dignitary to be the chief guest at the ceremony, which marks the commissioning of officers on completion of their two-year-long training course at the country’s premier military academy. General Karimi further said that the region has suffered four decades of war; however, given the will and cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the objective of peace is still achievable.

He added that greatest threat for the region is from terrorists and militants who have no religious or moral values and know no boundaries. He was all praise for Pakistan Army, and said it ranked amongst the best armies of the world, adding that he feels proud to attend the passing-out ceremony of Pakistan Army cadets. The army chief also handed out trophies and swords of honour to the outstanding cadets. The Afghan army chiefs participation as chief guest at the passing out parade of the 132 PMA Long Course signifies a transformation in bilateral relations over the past few months, particularly defence cooperation, which once suffered from mutual mistrust. When General Karimi was addressing the ceremony at Kakul, a suicide bomb blast in Jalalabad killed 33 people and injured more than 100 outside a bank, where government workers collect salaries, the city’s police chief said on Saturday. Since nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, it could be the handiwork of India’s proxies, as India could not digest the bonhomie between Pakistan and Afghan military.

During his first visit to Kabul, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif along with Director General Inter-services Intelligence lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar had held meeting with President Ashraf Ghani on boosting security and continuing operations against Taliban militants. He had also met Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah who acknowledged the overall positive trajectory in bilateral relations, and also talked about progress in border management and intelligence sharing. A day after the horrific attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, General Raheel Sharif had gone to Kabul and held key meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and ISAF commander in Kabul. During that meeting, President Ashraf Ghani had assured General Raheel Sharif that Afghan soil would not be allowed for terrorist activities against Pakistan, and any signature found in this regard will be immediately eliminated.

الكاتب : سمير حسين زعقوق

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