ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Thursday to strengthen their border security cooperation mechanism to thwart any cross-border movement of militants and prevent terrorist activities.

The two sides made the commitment during high-level talks at the military’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

“Both sides agreed to build further trust, continue to talk under all circumstances and evolve a robust and effective bilateral border coordination mechanism,” a military spokesman said.

Afghan authorities had recently accused Pakistan of being involved in clashes in the Helmand province. However, Islamabad on Tuesday expressed dismay over the allegations and denied that Pakistani security personnel had anything to do with the unrest.

“The issue of cross-border shelling also came under discussion. The Afghan delegation was told that Pakistan only fires back in self-defence when border posts are attacked or fired upon by terrorists from Afghan territory,” the spokesman said.

The talks between the two sides focused on the ongoing action in North Waziristan and the armed clashes in Helmand in Afghanistan.

Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta, national security adviser to President Hamid Karzai, recently alleged that Pakistani forces had direct links to the deadly clashes in southern Helmand. He claimed that Pakistani militia forces had been seen in Helmand and other parts of the country where major attacks on Afghan forces had taken place.

However, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam rejected the allegations and called them completely baseless. “At a time when Pakistan is engaged in serious efforts with Afghanistan to address common challenges, it is imperative to refrain from making comments that would detract us from our endeavours to creating a conducive environment for positive and productive engagement,” she said.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the eight-member Afghan military delegation was led by Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Afzal Aman with representatives from the Afghan National Security Council (NSC), Afghan military intelligence and Afghan border police.

The Pakistani side was headed by DGMO Maj Gen Aamer Riaz.

The military spokesman said a detailed briefing on the border coordination mechanism and discussions on the issue of terrorist sanctuaries in Kunar and Nuristan as well as the attack on a Pakistani border village and posts from those sanctuaries, were also discussed.

The meeting, he said, was held in a cordial, congenial and professional atmosphere. “Both sides agreed to meet next meeting for which scheduled is being finalised,” he added.

After the launch of military operation in NWA, both sides are seemed to be committed to enhancing cooperation to rid the two countries of the menace of terrorism.

The talks came soon after Islamabad asked Kabul to track down hardline cleric Mullah Fazlullah, who took over the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) last year. Fazlullah is believed to be in hiding in Affghanistan. Military spokesperson Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa called upon the Afghan government, in a briefing on June 30, to take action against Fazlullah.

In the last couple of weeks, many top Afghan officials have met senior Pakistani army officials, including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Raheel Sharif.

The ongoing Zarb-i-Azb operation is being carried out close to Pak-Afghan border and media reports suggest that many terrorists may have escaped to Afghanistan before the launch of the operation.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2014