Matrix Report
The biggest take-away from the intense two-day Pakistan-Afghanistan trade and investment conference at Islamabad was the centrality of the parliament in pushing political and economic agenda.
Several times during the proceedings the name of Asad Qaisar, the speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly – the lower house – resonated because of the pressure he mounted on the bureaucracy for expediting basic structural issues such as visa, import/export tariffs and border controls.
No surprise, thus, that Asad Qaisar, who hails from the Northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, became the centre of attention even the concluding dinner hosted Tuesday by Rahimullah Qatra, the Charge d’Affairs.
“Our whole-hearted gratitude goes to the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan (Asad Qaisar) for spearheading the dialogue among the members of the parliament, traders and for pushing the bureaucracy into resolving problems that have been worrying people on both sides of the border,” said Umar Daudzai, the Special Representative to President Ashraf Ghani, while addressing the dinner participants.
The Afghan minister for commerce Nisar Ahmed Ghoryani as well as representatives of Pak-Afghan Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industries (PAJCCI) also joined Daudzai in appreciating the role of the parliament in resolving long-standing issues.
“Never before did I see such a warm ambiance in Pakistan Afghanistan relationship, am so happy to be here, witnessing positive development in bilateral relations. This is indeed a win-win for both the countries,” Daudzai said on the occasion.
Mr.Qaisar heads the Pak Afghan Parliamentary Friendship Group which incorporates members of all political parties. It has been regularly holding meetings to push officials into mitigating strategies as far as refugees, trade, visa and border controls are concerned.
In an exclusive talk with Matrix Mag and CRSS later, Daudzai underscored the need for working on improving the general environment in both countries.
“We have yet to solve many problems, but we have started the journey towards a mutually accommodating relationship, he added, pointing out that the Afghan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) provides the best forum to address contentious issues.
“APAPPS is a great central permanent mechanism for addressing issues which are obstructing positive movement forward.
“Our emphasis in Afghanistan is to improve the general situation, because once we improve the general situation (perceptions about each other), it can then help in taking care of political disagreements,” he stated.
Daudzai also lauded Pakistan’s new liberal visa policy, which he said is creating a lot of goodwill among common Afghans.
Umar Daudzai was also appreciative of Pakistan’s role in the Afghan reconciliation.
“We are also as thankful to Pakistan as the United States and other countries for helping in the reconciliation process, which Pakistan says it is committed to. He however said, generally people in Afghanistan believe that Pakistan has full control over the Taliban, but “ I understand it is actually not this way.”
There are certain limitations which we understand. However, whatever leverage Pakistan has on the Taliban, it should use it to further impress on Taliban to stay the course at Doha, he said.
Daudzai also emphasized the need to end the violence as soon as possible.
“Although Taliban insist that the ceasefire is part of the ongoing negotiations and not the pre-requisite, yet every Afghan desires that it should happen first before we get into formal talks,” said the special representative.
“Reduction in violence is one prerequisite, because with every single day of war, we are losing over100 persons, which means similar number of families getting affected.”
