Call to initiate Pak-Afghan confidence building measures

Former Afghan Minister and Afghan Study Centre Kabul Head Professor Rasool Amin has called for initiating confidence building measures (CBMs) by the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan for promotion and establishment of friendly and brotherly relations between both neighbouring countries.
Speaking in Guest Hour Programme of Peshawar Press Club (PPC) here on Monday, he also called upon the governments of both countries to waive off the conditionality of the visa and travelling documents for the people of both neighbouring states as already hinted by President Hamid Karzai.
He said with the starting of the reconstruction work in the war-ravaged country, the neighbouring countries should come forward for playing active role in the restoration of peace and in the reconstruction drive.
The leadership of both countries, he said were interested in promotion of friendly and cordial relations between each other, adding that improvement in the friendly relations between both countries was also in the interest of the economy of Pakistan.
The former Afghan minister said that Pakistani products had big demands in the market of Afghanistan and the later had been emerged the largest market for Pakistan's manufactured products. Pakistani investors, he said should come forward and invests in the exploration of oil, natural gas, hydel-power generation and mineral sectors of Afghanistan.
Furthermore, he said Afghanistan provided the shortest access to the Central Asian market for Pakistan and the economy should be given due consideration in the promotion of bilateral relations.
He said the whole-hearted co-operation between both countries in the establishment of peace could enable the whole region to take benefit of the emerging market. "This kind of co-operation is also pre-requisite for the development of both brotherly Islamic countries," he added.
He called for promotion of economic interaction between both countries; saying presently more than 0.1 million skilled workers are required in Afghanistan for working in the reconstruction drive.
He said Pakistan was better position to meet this demand of Afghanistan, adding that the labourers of Pakistan instead of going to Middle East could easily earn their livelihood in Jalalabad and Kabul cities of Afghanistan.
He said the initiating of CBMs and promotion of friendly relations would enable both countries to take up longstanding issues for negotiations including the exchange of prisoners by both states. The step would also help strengthen the friendly relations and the causes behind the problems would also sort out. However, he said for this purpose the leadership of both countries would have to forget the past and search a better new future. "Only those people could make achievements, which are making proper planning for future," Rasool Amin maintained.
He said that media was best available forum for bringing improvement in these contacts and help decrease differences on some issues.