The third meeting of Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Committee (PAJC) Beyond Boundaries Phase III was held at Kabul on 24 June, 2018. First and second meetings were held at Kabul on 15 December, 2017, and Islamabad on 26 February, 2018 respectively.
The bilateral PAJC dialogue included interactive discussions on peace and security, positive bilateral developments including recent high level visits, revival of formal contacts under the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), a review of the status of Afghan refugees, bilateral and transit trade and the role of media on both sides in promoting better bilateral relations and preventing misperceptions and negative narratives.
The PAJC groups held meetings and were briefed during the dialogue by Mr. Haroon Rashid Sherzad, Senior Advisor to National Security Advisor (NSA), on the framework of APAPPS; Mr. Khyber Farahi, Senior Advisor to President on Migration and Social Development, on the latest situation of refugees.
The PAJC groups unanimously supported, and welcomed the recent high level bilateral visits and the recently concluded APAPPS framework.
The groups also welcomed commitment by both governments to refrain from public blame games as they pursue the new dialogue framework.
The PAJC groups agreed and urged the two governments to:
- Grant access to respective prisoners and sign an agreement on Mutual Consular Access, at the earliest.
- Sign an agreement for repatriation of each other’s citizen’s and prisoners.
- Dignified and honorable treatment to each other’s citizen’s at entry points.
- Restrain official Spokespersons of the two governments from making knee jerk statements in situations involving the two countries. It was suggested that given the sensitivities, both sides should avoid instant reaction to any untoward incident.
- Work on a dignified and reasonable plan for Afghan refugees repatriation.
- Hold APTTCA meeting at the earliest to improve the framework governing the transit trade
- Work towards ease-of-doing-business at international crossing points i.e. rationalizing regulations, procedures, as well as upgradation of physical infrastructure and services for traders, clearance mechanisms, and expansion of entry and exit points to facilitate the growing human and cargo traffic via the main crossing points
- Facilitate media interactions, exchanges
- Disseminate through media the progress being made under APAPPS
- Help shape/correct negative narratives about each other
- Encourage and facilitate audio-video content exchange among public sector media organizations.