'Kabul powerless to prevent Nato attacks': Afghan MPs urge Pakistan to reopen Isaf supply lines

The Afghan parliamentary delegation on Wednesday admitted that Kabul was powerless to prevent November 26-like incidents from its soil, but urged Islamabad to reopen Nato supply route, shut down as reaction to the Nato attack. The 22-member Afghan delegation made these remarks at a joint news conference with chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Salim Saifullah, following Pakistan-Afghanistan parliamentarians' dialogue, organised by Pildat.
Amir Yar Khan, member of the Afghan Wolesi Jirga, during question and answer session, said that Afghan people regretted the incident, but added that Afghans were powerless to stop such incidents even in future. "You know who undertook the November 26 attack, and it is also a fact that Afghan government is powerless to stop reoccurrence of such incidents in future," he said. He said that the Afghan people want good relations with neighbours, but the Nato attack on Salala border posts destroyed the efforts.
Abdul Latif Pedram, leader of the delegation of Afghan Meshrano and Wolesi Jirga, said income of thousands of Afghans was associated with Nato supplies, and urged the government of Pakistan to reopen the supply route in the interest of the Afghan people.
The head of the delegation also expressed concern over US talks with Taliban in Qatar, saying that Washington was holding talks with Taliban in Doha, despite serious apprehensions of the Afghan people.
He said that Afghan government was against the use of Afghan soil against any neighbouring country. Saifullah Khan stressed the need to intensify joint efforts for stability and prosperity of the two nations. The joint declaration, released on the dialogue, stated that the two-day dialogue focused on progress on recommendations from earlier two Parliamentary Dialogues (March 29-31, 2011 and May 29-30, 2011 in Islamabad and Kabul respectively); Afghan Transit Trade, Trade and Travel between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Investment Opportunities by Investors of both countries and Prospects of Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations in post-Nato/US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Parliamentarians from both sides agreed to speed up the process of getting their recommendations fully recognised by their respective governments and to ensure that all their recommendations emanating from interacting with each other would be discussed in houses of their respective Parliaments including Senate and National Assembly of Pakistan and Meshrano Jirga and Wolesi Jirga of Afghanistan.
Recommendations of the dialogues included:
1. Institutionalise Parliamentary Dialogue,
2. Improve Co-ordination on Counter-Terrorism Operations,
3. Address apprehensions regarding Terrorists' safe havens
4. Greater Parliamentary Oversight on Defence,
5. Parliamentarians to adopt their own political approach (people-oriented) in enhancing relations between the two countries
6. Narcotics and terrorist-financing: The need to install effective control on growth and supply of drugs fuelling terrorism in the region,
7. Enhancing Border management
8. Intelligence-sharing and Co-operation
9. Liberalising Visa Regimes,
10. Enhancing Communication Networks: Air travel, Road and Rail network (Kabul to Peshawer), & telephony
11. Facilitating media exchanges (electronic & print)
12. Greater support and facilitation for Afghan students
13. Central banks of both Pakistan and Afghanistan should follow the Basel Committee III on supervision of banks, especially on Money Laundering and Terrorist financing
14.Visa-free regime between Parliamentarians of two countries
15. Pakistani and Afghan investors and business persons should get reciprocal incentives in each country to strengthen business and trade
16. Early return of Afghan refugees in Pakistan to Afghanistan with dignity and honour
17. The two countries should sign a treaty of extradition of criminals on both sides
18. Promote cricket as a way of promoting better people to people contact
19. Draft a treaty on water-sharing. Treaty should be ratified by both Parliaments
20. While remaining part of tripartite co-operation in the area of security, Pakistan and Afghanistan should also develop bilateral cooperation between the Armed Forces and Security Agencies of Pakistan and Afghanistan
21. Have a Commission on Prisoners that could facilitate exchange of those prisoners who have not committed heinous crimes
22. Youth and Cultural Exchanges should be facilitated, and
23. Moving Resolutions in respective Parliaments based on these recommendations.
The set of recommendations of the three dialogues will be carried forward for presentation in the Afghan and Pakistan Parliaments as the sole responsibility of participating MPs in these dialogues, under the guidance of co-chairs of the respective Parliamentary dialogues. Pakistan and Afghanistan MPs agreed to continue the process of interaction on each recommendation and their reflection in the policies of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
They agreed that trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan needs to be promoted further for strengthening the bilateral relationship and well-built bridges of friendship of the two countries. Certain technical issues in implementation of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement such as insurance guarantees should be resolved by mutual agreement of the two side governments.
Parliamentarians from the two countries also believed that APTTA should be extended beyond Afghanistan to Central Asian States. Trade between the two countries should also be promoted by providing attractive opportunities to the investors from both sides. Malpractices in trade should also be addressed in a way that rights of investors of the two countries are fully protected.
They agreed that a mechanism for streamlining the economic relations between the two countries needs to be adopted through which Pakistan's participation in Afghanistan's reconstruction should be encouraged. They also agreed that infrastructure projects linking border areas of the two countries should be given special attention and rail and road connections between the two countries should be focussed on fostering economic development. Up-gradation of Peshawar-Jalalabad Road was cited as a priority project in this context. They also agreed that the existing conducive regional environment should be utilised for economic engagement of the international community with Afghanistan and Pakistan.