Afghan Leader Ventures into Pakistan in Search of Elusive Peace with Insurgents
Afghan Leader Ventures into Pakistan in Search of Elusive Peace with Insurgents by Pamela Constable and Shaiq Hussain – Washington Post
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been called many things by his critics at home — arrogant and impatient, isolated and out of touch with ordinary people. But he surely deserves points for diplomatic perseverance.
On Thursday, for the first time in three years, Ghani flew into Pakistan, a neighboring country he has denounced repeatedly as fomenting terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. Looking spry in a blue pinstriped suit, he beamed gamely after being greeted on the tarmac by a mid-level government commerce adviser.
He met first with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and the two leaders agreed to open a “new chapter of friendship” in their governments’ long-contentious relations. Later he told a think-tank audience that it is “crucial” for his government to “normalize relations with Pakistan” and that the two nations should cooperate to end conflict and develop a prosperous region…