Hikmet Karzai, Afghanistan’s deputy foreigner minister has thanked Pak-Afghan Track11/1.5 initiative Beyond Boundaries for endorsing the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) peace process.
In a meeting with the members of the Beyond Boundaries at the sprawling lawns of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 2 where they presented the joint declaration from their third Regional Security Workshop, Karzai said his government welcomes initiatives such as Beyond Boundaries.
“We are extremely grateful to the members for fully endorsing the QCG process which we believe is the last big chance for peace in the next two or so decades,” the minister said.
He also underlined the importance of Track 11 discussions.
“And trust me, we highly value these efforts. I make sure that my colleagues also go through the recommendations coming from such private discussions.”
I personally believe that declarations agreed on at the end of such initiatives should feed policy making because this is the only way we can collectively understand and solve problems, the minister added.
Speaking of the QCG efforts, he said “none of is under any illusion, The process will be difficult and long, accompanied by violence, but gradual progress, we expect, will also result in reduction of violence.
The QCG came into being on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference held at Islamabad on December 9, 2015. This includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, United States and China – the latter being the monitors/guarantors of the process.
“Our expectation, nevertheless is that the process brings about some reduction in high-profile violence otherwise I will loose my legitimacy as a peace negotiator,” Karzai underscored, in a reminder of the continued spate of violence – as many as 18 big strikes across Afghanistan that have killed about nearly people since early January, including members of Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
Karzai agreed that Pakistan’s image in Afghanistan is negative but argued it had a history and we should all try to address the causes for this.
“Changing these perceptions are therefore going to be a difficult and complicated process which we will need to tackle slowly and gradually,” Karzai said when asked as to whether the government is undertaking any efforts to help improve the narrative on Pakistan in the Afghan media.
It will also depend on how and whether Pakistan delivers on the commitments it has made to peace and counter-terrorism in Afghanistan in the weeks and months to come, the minister said.
Karzai said we want people of the two countries to get closer to understand each other better. We want the Ulema/ religious scholars of the two countries to get together and condemn violence in the name of Islam, including suicide bombings.
We want academics, media and artists to interact with each other as much as possible. This will greatly help the bilateral relationship. Track 11 trans-border initiatives should and can help bring them all together to expand the dialogue among peoples, he said.