Khalilzad Urges Pakistan to Take Steps to Ease Tensions with Afghanistan

DID Press: Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, has called for de-escalation and an agreement between Kabul and Islamabad amid rising tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

Khalilzad said preventing the conflict from expanding and drawing in India or Russia would be a better option for both Afghanistan and Pakistan. He warned that a wider war, particularly if India or Russia became more involved in support of Afghanistan, could further complicate the situation.

He stressed that Pakistan should take steps to reduce tensions and called on both countries to commit to preventing individuals and groups — including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State (IS) — from using their territories to launch attacks against one another.

Emphasising the need for cooperation between the two neighbours, Khalilzad said the ball was now in Pakistan’s court.

Meanwhile, political analyst Sayed Moqaddam Amin said Pakistan was facing security challenges and that the rationale behind Pakistani officials’ positions was based on those threats.