ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: Afghan President Hamid Karzai will be coming to Pakistan next week on a two-day official visit. During the visit, he will discuss key bilateral matters, including security cooperation, with the top Pakistani leadership.

Announcing the visit of the Afghan President to Islamabad from Dec 26 to 27 at a weekly news briefing on Wednesday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Sadiq characterised it as “essentially a goodwill visit and expression of solidarity with Pakistan.”

He was evasive when his attention was drawn to reports that Rashid Rauf may have fled to Afghanistan and asked if this issue would be raised with Mr Karzai.

Asked if President Musharraf would ask President Karzai to “do more” to improve the security situation in the bordering areas, he said: “The language of ‘do more’ is not our language. We will be discussing all bilateral issues and cooperation with each other in the fight against extremism and terrorism will also be on the table.”