Participants of the Dialogue agreed that:
1.Afghan Peace Process
- Governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan should continue cooperation in the reconciliation process for Afghanistan to sustain a democratic, peaceful, and inclusive Afghanistan.
- Any peace settlement must guarantee preservation and protection of the rights of women, youth, and religious minorities in Afghanistan.
- All stakeholders must be encouraged and urged to agree on a ceasefire while interlocutors at the intra-Afghan negotiations concomitantly work for a political settlement.
- Women’s representation in the peace process should be increased
- Women influencers should be included in counter-radicalization and de-radicalization programmes.
2. Pak – Afghan Bilateral Relation – APAPPS:
The participants welcomed the revival of the dialogue within the framework of Afghanistan – Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS). APAPPS provides a valuable mechanism to enhance engagement between counterpart institutions of the two countries and envisages regular bilateral dialogue between five working groups on Politico-diplomatic, Military, Intelligence, Economic & Trade and Refugees issues aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.
3. Confidence Building Measures (CBMs)
3.1 Bilateral Trade
- Participants lauded the formation of Technical Committees vis-à-vis the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). They urged both governments to include private stakeholders whilst devising the agreement in order to make it more inclusive and realistic.
- Both governments should actively explore and jointly work towards establishment of special economic zones, bilaterally or multilaterally, where private sector could also play a lead role.
3.2 Transit Trade
- The revival of APTTCA talks is a substantial accomplishment of both governments. These meetings will aid in timely revision of the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA). Furthermore, it is proposed to include the private sector in APTTA negotiations for technical input and for removing bottlenecks experienced by them in transit trade.
3.3 Visa Regime
- While appreciating Pakistan’s latest liberal visa regime for Afghan citizens, the participants requested the Government of Pakistan to further facilitate the pedestrian border crossing, as the process currently is quite cumbersome and time consuming due to the sheer volume of daily travellers.
3.4 Scholarships
- The participants requested the Government of Pakistan to ensure maximum transparency and accountability mechanisms in the entire scholarship process for Afghan students. This in turn will ensure selection on merit, in addition to holding the students equally accountable for maintaining good academic performance during the scholarship period.
4. Media
- Both governments should commit to facilitate bilateral and multilateral media and journalistic exchanges and programmes aimed at development and strengthening of dynamic media to play its constructive role in strengthening bilateral relations and for promotion of regional peace and security.
5. Cultural and Arts (Civil Society)
- Both governments should commit to facilitate bilateral and multilateral initiatives by public and private sectors for promotion of arts, culture, and creative industries to help peace and economic development in both countries.