The role of Pakistan is being deemed crucial in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. Even it is said that peace talks with Taliban will not be possible if Pakistan does not cooperate. During his speech at UN General Assembly on September 25, President Karzai said, "In pursuing the path of peace, we remain hopeful for the critical role that our neighbor, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, has to play."

He further said, "Over the recent years, we have engaged our friends in Pakistan in a close dialogue in support of the Afghan peace process.  It is a dialogue that, we believe, is critical for Pakistan's own security, and the security of the wider region and beyond."

Pakistan, as a close neighbor to Afghanistan and as an Islamic country, is believed to have great influence on the Taliban leadership. The Afghan government has long demanded Pakistan to hand over certain Taliban leaders to Afghan control so that Afghan government can initiate direct peace talks with them. Pakistan has gone giving promises to do what it can do to help Afghanistan come out of the turmoil it is facing. In practice, however, no significant effort has come from Pakistan.

To bolster ties, Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to enter into a long-term partnership agreement. According to Afghan officials, President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari agreed to sign the pact during the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The details are not yet known but for sure the agreement will majorly focus on improving issues such as security and economy. The two nations are facing multifaceted challenges including growing terrorism and extremism and only sincere cooperation between the two governments can be helpful in fighting the increasing menaces of terrorism.

Afghanistan has entered into partnership agreements with a number of countries including USA and UK and India. The agreements contain commitments of long term financial and non-financial support for Afghanistan. Pak-Afghan strategic agreement will be an important addition. It has to be seen whether the new agreement can take Pak-Afghan relation to a new level where there will be less blame game and more cooperation.

In post NATO withdrawal era, Afghanistan would definitely be in need of solid support and cooperation from neighboring and regional countries to improve its security and economic condition. And cooperation from Pakistan would be something Afghan government would be looking for eagerly.