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ISLAMABAD: Only a truly inclusive government in Kabul will ensure stable governance in Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly in FATA region, a report by Pakistan's foreign policy elites revealed on Thursday.
The report titled 'Pakistan, the United States and the End Game in Afghanistan: Perceptions of Pakistan's Foreign policy Elite was jointly written by Jinnah Institute (JI) and United States Institute of Peace (USIP) launched at a local hotel.
“Pakistan prefers a negotiated configuration with adequate Pashtun representation that is recognized by all ethnic and political stakeholders in Afghanistan”, the report said.
The government in Kabul should neither be hostile to Pakistan nor allow its territory to be used against Pakistan's state interests, the report suggested.
Pakistan's interests will be best served by a relatively stable government in Kabul, not hostile towards Pakistan.
The settlement in Afghanistan should neither increase instability in Pakistan nor cause resentment among Pakistani Pahtuns.
Pakistani foreign policy elite accepted that India has a role to play in Afghanistan's economic progress and prosperity, however, there was a demand for greater transparency on Indian actions and objectives in Afghanistan.
Speaking on the occasion, President of Jinnah Institute, Sherry Rehman emphasized on the need for making a collaborative effort as Pakistan has a pivotal role in Endgame in Afghanistan.
She said that the idea behind the report was to bring Pakistan's intellectual capital on foreign policy to the table to bring clarity and motive to America's evolving priorities and Pakistan's goals.
She highlighted the main themes of the report and committed her institutional resources to the search for common ground between those seeking an amicable end to the conflict in Afghanistan.
Sherry said Pakistan has vital stakes in Afghanistan's stability and sovereignty so would best support an Afghan-led inclusive reconciliation process, privileging a political surge over a military solution.
She said it is in the best interests of Pakistan today to build on convergence with all neigbours and allies, including Afghanistan and the US.
Pakistan is fighting a frontline battle against terrorism at its western border and has paid too high a human, military and economic price to seek solutions based on anything but regional peace, she said.
Security Analyst JI and co-author of the report Salman Zaidi said the report was compiled while incorporating the key voices from Pakistan's policy community including all political parties.
The report was path breaking in capturing a spectrum of policy perspectives on the endgame in Afghanistan documented in several roundtable sessions and interviews with experts.
South Asia Advisor for USIP, Moeed Yusuf gave a detailed briefing on the findings of report and spoke about the perceived American civil-military disconnect and failure to define the principal target of the military surge in Afghanistan.
Former Ambassador Aziz Ahmed Khan reiterated the importance of moving faster on reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Former Foreign Secretary Humayun Khan said that the longer the US military operation continues without a clear path for political negotiations, the tougher it will get for pakistan to manage its internal security balancing act.
The event was attended by leading policy experts, legislators, academicians, diplomats and civil society members.
