ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday evening to discuss the ongoing reconciliation process with Afghan Taliban, the PM House said in a statement.

Both the leaders discussed matters related to mutual and bilateral interest including the regional situation, it added.

Nawaz also expressed sorrow over the recent blasts in Afghanistan and conveyed his condolences over the loss of precious lives.

Earlier, the prime minister’s special assistant for foreign affairs, Tariq Fatemi, had said that Afghanistan and Pakistan can take joint action against the Taliban groups who refuse to participate in the reconciliation process.

Fatemi had said this while briefing the Pakistani media at the end of a 10-day visit to Washington on July 30. He hoped that the terrorist attack in Gurdaspur in Indian Punjab would not have any impact on efforts to improve bilateral ties with India as Pakistan had nothing to do with it.

The prime minister’s adviser said that Pakistan used “whatever little influence” it had on the Taliban to encourage them to participate in the first ever “publicly acknowledged” meeting between the rebels and Afghan officials in Murree last month.