Taliban peace talks: Pakistan welcomes Afghan President on his arrival

Islamabad: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrived for his first visit to neighbouring Pakistan on Friday, seeking to improve ties crucial to his hopes of reviving Taliban peace talks as US troops end their 13-year war. Ghani will hold talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the pair are expected to watch a cricket match between the two countries on Saturday in a public demonstration of better relations despite fraught cross-border tensions. Both nations accuse each other of allowing militants to shelter in the border regions and launch bloody attacks that threaten regional stability. [caption id=“attachment_1802923” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Afghan President Ghani. Reuters[/caption] Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai routinely accused Pakistan of continuing to fuel the Taliban insurgency to destabilise his country as a hedge against Indian influence there. Islamabad denies the charge but its support, and that of its powerful military, are seen as important for peace in Afghanistan as NATO pulls out its combat troops. Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognise the hardline Taliban regime that ruled Kabul from 1996 until 2001, when it was deposed by a US-led international military coalition. Despite repeated visits to Pakistan by the former president, there was little palpable improvement in relations during Karzai’s 13-years in power. But diplomats say that Ghani’s presidency, which started in September, presents a major opportunity at a time when US-led NATO troops are withdrawing from the fight against the Taliban. Ghani arrived at Chaklala air base in Rawalpindi, Islamabad’s twin city, on Friday and was greeted by Sartaj Aziz, Sharif’s special advisor on foreign affairs. AFP