Regarding the peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan post US withdrawal, National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed will visit Washington next week to meet their American counterparts.
This will be part of the visits by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to New Delhi and Kabul in an effort to formulate a regional response to the Afghan crisis.
Read More: Pakistan to hold a special conference on Afghanistan and its future issues
US State Department’s spokesperson Ned Price said at a recent briefing in Washington, “Afghanistan’s neighbors do have a role to play. I would add that tangible and material support for the Afghanistan peace process – it’s vital for its ultimate success, as are the longer-term relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And so, we certainly do hope to see Afghanistan’s neighbors play a constructive, responsible role in bringing about a just and durable solution here. And we understand the crucial role that Pakistan has the potential to play in this regard as well.”
This would be the second meeting between Moeed Yusuf and Jake Sullivan, his American counterpart who first met in Geneva in March this year which was the first highest-level physical contact between the two countries since the Biden administration took office.
After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, peace in the country is critical to stability for the region. The countries with the highest stakes will be China, Pakistan, Iran, and Russia. Even India that has made significant investments in the country will look to have a say in its future trajectory.
Read More: How India’s double game in Afghanistan is damaging peace
Rustam Shah Mohmand, a senior Pakistani diplomat, has the following to say about the situation “As violence escalates and the withdrawal of forces deadline approaches, there is ‘alarm’ in Pakistan because the prophets of doom fear a catastrophe in the wake of the ‘vacuum’ that will be created.”