Karzai to Leave on Highly Anticipated Trip to Pakistan Monday

http://www.tolonews.com/

Janan Mosazai, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), on Sunday confirmed that President Karzai is set to leave for Pakistan on Monday and spoke about the Afghan leader's agenda for the trip, one that officials in Islamabad have labeled a "historic event."With tensions recently mounting between Kabul and Islamabad over border disputes and suspicions of subterfuge, the trip potentially signals a positive shift in relations between the two neighbours, or at least an attempt at one. Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary, spokesman of Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry, in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews, called President Karzai's trip a "historical event" and said that it would surely help strengthen relations between the two countries, which have seen growing animosity most frequently expressed in Afghan officials' accusations of Pakistani support for the Taliban and other destabilizing operations inside Afghanistan. "Both countries have had differences for a long time now," Mr. Chaudhary admitted. "But this trip is an opportunity to clear them up and strengthen relations," he said."President Karzai will discuss the peace process, ways to further improve bilateral relations and will request the release of Taliban prisoners," Mr. Mosazai told reporters at a press conference on Sunday. Although officials have not spoken about the strategy behind the request for Taliban prisoners to be released, it is presumed that they want certain insurgent leaders to be freed in order to make them available for negotiations as well as to show a sign of goodwill to the militant group ahead of talks. According to statements made last week by Umer Daudzai, the Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, President Karzai also intends on discussing the participation of Pakistani religious scholars in a large gathering of Islamic scholars from the Muslim world to be held soon in Kabul. Ambassador Daudzai was very optimistic about the potential outcomes of President Karzai's visit. Pakistani officials have often assured that they would support Afghanistan in the peace process and want to build better relations with their war-torn neighbor, however, many in Kabul have in the past said the talk was not been backed by action. Recent hints at plans of Pakistani officials to oblige specific goals the Afghan government has laid out for President Karzai's trip on Monday therefore provide a welcomed development. "Pakistan will honestly cooperate whether it is regarding the release of Taliban prisoners or holding a meeting of the clerics in Kabul," Mr. Chadhary said. "Pakistan is committed to working sincerely to accelerate the stalled peace process." Nevertheless, many onlookers remained skeptical of the trip's promise. "Pakistan follows its own strategic motives in Afghanistan and the Taliban, as an ideological group, will never be prepared to obey a president whose ideology is totally different than theirs," said Ahmad Zia Masoud, the leader of the National Front Part (NFP).