Britain Attempts to Defuse Afghan Tensions with Pakistan

Britain will host top officials from Afghanistan and Pakistan to discuss security in Afghanistan and the region, and resolve tensions between Kabul and Islamabad. A press release from the National Security Council (NSC) stated that National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar left for London yesterday at the invitation of the British government. The meeting would be attended by Advisor to Pakistan’s Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and British National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyall Grant. They will hold talks on the security situation of Afghanistan and the region, and discuss tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Meanwhile Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal said, “I will join our National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar at the high-level Afghanistan-Pakistan meeting to be hosted by the British government in London tomorrow.” Zakhilwal added that the meeting will focus on a mechanism for genuine Pakistan-Afghan cooperation on fighting terrorism, the current tense bilateral relations and the closure of border crossings between the two countries.