Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz has said Pakistan is committed to a good and positive relationship with Afghanistan. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal‚ Sartaj Aziz said he would hold talks with Afghan leaders during his visit to Kabul tomorrow on improving relations between the two countries and preparing agenda for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to Pakistan.
He said our commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan remains undiminished. He said he will also discuss pending trade agreement between the two countries during the visit. In the course of his dispatch, the WSJ commented, "Good ties between Islamabad and Kabul are a prerequisite for any chance of peace in Afghanistan. Sharif's new government may be better positioned to forge such a rapprochement with Kabul, as he appears determined to take control of Afghan policy from the country's military establishment, which has long overseen the issue."
The Advisor told the newspaper that his trip to Kabul would prepare the agenda for Karzai's visit to Pakistan. No date has been set for that visit, the dispatch said. Aziz said a trade agreement was also among the pending issues. Replying to a question, Aziz said that Pakistan was prepared in principle to release more Afghan Taliban from its jails, but at the 'appropriate time', when there is some progress in the peace process. About Mullah Baradar, he said that the Taliban commander was 'included in the list of who might be released' but 'timing and the modalities have to be worked out'. He added that 26 Taliban had been freed so far.