Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Pakistan to Give Military Training to Afghan Army

Pakistan to Give Military Training to Afghan Army

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan army will train the Afghan National Army and police under trilateral pacts signed at the 6th Trilateral Summit held in Istanbul, local media reported Friday.
Quoting Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua, The News reported that Pakistan signed a protocol with Afghanistan and Turkey on conduct of mutual exercises and on training cooperation with Afghanistan. Pakistan would train police personnel to counter terrorism/law enforcement and it would also train the military personnel, Xinhua reported.

According to one of the protocols, the three countries signed a memorandum of understanding for training police personnel and conduct of mutual military exercises.
The protocol includes training courses between the militaries of the three countries and mutual exercises. These were signed by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, General Necdet Ozal of Turkey and General Shah Muhammad Kairimi from Afghanistan.

The foreign office spokesperson said that Pakistan's principal objectives with regards to Afghanistan are "to promote stability, peace and prosperity in this brotherly country. This is important for peace and stability in the region as a whole".

"We are actively participating in all trilateral processes with regards to Afghanistan. These include Pakistan-Afghanistan-Turkey, Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran, Pakistan-Afghanistan-US and the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan-Russia

quadrilateral as well as the SCO-sponsored processes and RECCA," said the spokesperson.
Local watchers believe that the conduct of mutual exercises and training cooperation would lessen the tension between the two countries. After the assassination of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani on Sep 20, a statement issued by Afghan foreign office accused Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI of alleged involvement in the murder plot. Pakistani government refused it but such accusations tensed bilateral relations. (IANS)