Pakistan's foreign policy chief has said that, during his upcoming talks with Afghan officials, he will be aiming "to restore trust and confidence between the two countries."
Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said he would urge Afghan officials, including President Ashraf Ghani, to address what Islamabad views as inflammatory rhetoric blaming Pakistan for a recent series of attacks linked to Taliban insurgents and the militant Haqqani network.
Aziz made the remarks during a telephone interview on September 3 with RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan.
"My main purpose is to restore trust and confidence between the two countries because in the last few days there have been many anti-Pakistan statements by the Afghan leadership at different levels," Aziz said.
Aziz also said he was ready to help to restart peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban, which were derailed with the recent revelation that longtime Taliban leader Mullah Omar had been dead for two years.
Aziz will be in the Afghan capital Kabul for a regional economic conference but will hold other meetings on the sidelines.