In an apparent softening of its attitude against India, Pakistan has withdrawn its opposition to New Delhi’s participation in a preparatory conclave on the security and reconstruction of Afghanistan to be held in Ankara next month, a media report today said.
“Senior officials within the administration have advised the foreign ministry not to oppose India’s participation in the conference,” an official source was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry had earlier told Turkey that Islamabad would not attend the conference if India was invited.
“Our civilian establishment is gradually digesting the idea of consulting India on regional issues,” a high—ranking source told the daily.
The Ankara conclave will chalk out a plan for the International Conference of Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan scheduled to be held in Bonn in December.
More than 1,000 delegates from 90 countries, including Pakistan and India, have been invited to the conference.
Among those who will attend are Afghan President Hamid Karzai, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the UN Secretary General.
Foreign policy experts confirmed this change in the government’s policy towards India.
“There is a visible change in Pakistan’s attitude towards India on regional issues,” said Simbal Khan, director for Afghanistan and Central Asia at the Institute of Strategic Studies.
“Our attitude is softening. If we can talk to India on other issues with a regional approach, there should be no harm in talking to it on the Afghan issue.
“We should keep in mind that India is the fifth largest donor to Afghanistan,” she said.
The conference will focus on three key areas: transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan government by 2014, further international commitment to Afghanistan after the handover to Afghans, and the political process, including national reconciliation and integration of the Taliban.
Pakistan has often accused India of using Afghanistan as a base for “destabilising” its border regions, especially Balochistan province and the tribal belt.
However, Khan said: “Karzai had addressed Pakistan’s concerns over India’s role in Afghanistan. He removed top officials of the Afghan spy agency who were considered to be close to India.”
