If the feuding neighbours were to bury the hatchet, the chances of increased stability in the region would increase dramatically
It has been a long time since Pakistans diplomats and politicians have truly looked forward to a visit from the president of Afghanistan. Senior officials who dealt with Hamid Karzai still shudder at the memory of a deeply mercurial man whose attitude towards Pakistan veered wildly between occasional spasms of warmth and long periods of outright hostility.
So the arrival in Islamabad on Friday of Karzais successor Ashraf Ghani making his first visit to Pakistan has triggered an outbreak of optimism. There is a real desire among both the military and civilians to start a new chapter with Ghani, said one diplomat. In the end they all just found Karzai too difficult.
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