Participants of a panel discussion on Wednesday proposed that a manual should be developed to resolve issues including water sharing between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Giving his thoughts on "leading prospective on managing shared basins Afghanistan-Pakistan trans-boundary water relations: engaging with strange neighbour" Khalid Aziz, a former civil servant said that there is no formal mechanism between the two countries to resolve disputes.

He cited an agreement signed by Finance Minister (on leave) Senator Ishaq Dar with his then Afghan counterpart Dr Hazart Omar Zakhiwal on construction of Kunnar hydropower project. However, this did not materialize. He argued that Pakistan should honour its commitments with Afghanistan and the government should use Pashto speaking politicians and intellectuals to bridge the trust deficit gap.

Aziz who remained actively involved in diplomatic and dialogue-driven initiatives between Pakistan and Afghanistan, participating in Pak-Afghan Track II dialogues as a member of the Pak-Afghan Joint Peace Jirga and as convener of the Pakistan Policy Group under "Afghanistan Post-2014" peace project, said that the two countries should enhance people to people contact which is the only possible way to defuse tension and come closer to each other.

He stated that the government should utilize political weight of people like Mehmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhawa Mili Awami Party and Afrasyab Khattak who spent several years in Afghanistan. Former ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel stated that Afghans should be honoured instead of portraying them as terrorists. He criticised closing of border with Afghanistan which, according to him, was creating hurdles. He said rich Afghans who also speak Urdu or English prefer to go to India for medical treatment instead of coming Pakistan. However, poor Afghans who can only speak Pushto come to Pakistan for medical treatment. The closure of border has multiplied their difficulties.

Ambassador Kakakhel further stated that media always reports that India is funding Afghan hydropower projects to stop water coming to Pakistan but the ground reality is different. He said India has supported Afghanistan in road network and not hydropower projects. Dr Pervez Tahir, former Chief Economist, urged that a proper mechanism to resolve bilateral issues be formulated. Other participants also urged close coordination between the people, academia and experts to bring the two countries closer together.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017