ISLAMABAD: In a significant confidence-building move, a top-level Pakistan Army delegation visited Kabul on Thursday and held negotiations with the Afghan officials on various issues relating to security.

The Inter-Services Public Relations in a statement issued after the day-long visit of the army delegation, led by Chief of the Genera Staff Lt Gen Bilal Akbar, said “terrorists are common threat and shall be defeated”.

The resolve was conveyed to acting Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahramee and Afghan Chief of the Army Staff Gen Mohammad Sharif Yaftali.

Terrorists are common threat and shall be defeated, Afghans told

“Afghan authorities were conveyed that Pakistan Army has control in all areas on Pakistan side of the border and shall not allow its soil to be used against Afghanistan,” the ISPR quoted the Pakistani delegates as saying at the talks.

“The delegation held talks on bilateral border coordination measures..,” the ISPR said.

Kabul has long complained about terrorists using sanctuaries on Pakistani soil for launching strikes in Afghanistan.

Gen Akbar’s visit, which according to the ISPR happened on the army chief’s direction, was the continuation of contacts agreed during Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz’s talks with Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar in London, which had been brokered by Britain. The London meeting had been arranged to help the two countries overcome the impasse in their ties over terrorist sanctuaries that had led to weeks’ long closure of the border crossings.

The understanding reached in London — known as agreement on bilateral cooperation mechanism — paved the way for reopening of the border crossings.

During the talks, the Pakistani delegation condoled over Afghan army’s casualties in a terrorist attack on a base in Mazar-e-Sharif last Friday in which close to 200 soldiers were killed. “Free medical treatment in Pakistan to [the] injured of Mazar-e-Sharif attack was also offered by the delegation,” the ISPR said.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2017