ISLAMABAD, June 29: President Asif Ali Zardari has called upon Western countries to accommodate the “legitimate concerns” of all stakeholders in negotiations on the future of Afghanistan as they strive to salvage the troubled Doha process.

The president conveyed the worries to British Prime Minister David Cameron, who arrived here on a two-day visit on Saturday. Mr Cameron will hold extensive discussions with the Pakistani leadership over the state of bilateral relations and the Afghan peace process.

While welcoming Western efforts for rescuing the Doha process, President Zardari recalled Pakistan’s “constructive approach…towards ensuring durable peace in Afghanistan” and called for taking “into account legitimate concerns of all the stakeholders”.

During the talks, Pakistan and the United Kingdom will evaluate the progress made in the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue since 2011. The focus of his discussions will naturally be on Afghanistan because of developments in the peace initiative that saw the Taliban opening their political office in Doha, Qatar.

The British government has been closely coordinating its efforts for peace in Afghanistan with Pakistan and has held three trilateral summits with Pakistani and Afghan leaders.

The British prime minister flew into Islamabad from Kabul, where he had gone to reassure Afghan President Hamid Karzai of the international community’s support in days ahead.

This is Mr Cameron’s second visit to Islamabad, but the first after the PML-N government was installed earlier this month.

The British prime minister conveyed Afghan government’s willingness to talk with the Taliban and get past the controversy at the opening of their office in Qatar.

A source, who attended the meeting, said that Mr Cameron encouraged Pakistan to continue its role for promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan by using its clout with the Taliban.

Pakistan was credited for contributing to the opening of the Taliban office in Doha and is now trying to coax the insurgency leadership to return to the agreement on holding talks with the US and Afghan High Peace Council after the row over the name of the Doha office and hoisting of the flag. The two controversial signs have been removed by the Qatari government, but the Taliban insist that they have not backed down on the matter.

Pakistani strategists have concerns about the post-2014 Afghanistan, which they believe will have serious implications for Pakistan’s security. They feel perturbed over the US indication of giving India a bigger role in Afghanistan.

BILATERAL TIES: President Zardari expressed satisfaction that the Pak-UK Enhanced Strategic Dialogue had institutionalised the bilateral consultation process in all areas of cooperation.

He called for expansion of the scope of UK foreign direct investment in the fields of energy, infrastructure development, agriculture, agro-based industry and mining. Mr Cameron will meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday.