ISLAMABAD, April 28 (DNA): A two-day Afghanistan-Pakistan Track-II Bilateral Dialogue will begin in Islamabad on Monday, organizers said on Sunday.

This is the oldest Afghanistan track sponsored by the Regional Peace Institute (RPI) with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), the RPI’s chief Raoof Hasan said.

The previous six rounds have been held in Islamabad and Kabul and the next round will also be held in the Afghan capital towards the end of June this year.

“This conference is being held at a critical juncture in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and will afford the participants a good opportunity to gain and share contemporary perceptions about the way things are likely to proceed in the neighbouring country and in the larger region,” he said.

“We have a ten-member delegation arriving from Afghanistan and about fifteen to twenty delegates will be attending from the Pakistani side,” Hasan said.

The participants will discuss “An appraisal of the ongoing reconciliation process in Afghanistan –Stakeholders, prospects and challenges,” “Regional role in bringing peace to Afghanistan – Can there be a broad agreement among countries?” “Strengthening economic engagement, academic exchanges and social linkages – Integral to expanding bilateral connectivity for development,” and “Post-Reconciliation Afghanistan – The need for an institutional mechanism to ensure peace and stability.”

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Afghan Ambassador Atif Mashal will also address the dialogue. DNA