ISLAMABAD, July 21: Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali will arrive here on Wednesday to hold structured talks with Pakistani officials on the recent border row between the two sides.

This was stated by foreign office spokesman Masud Khan at his weekly media briefing on Monday. He hoped that the issues irritating the two countries would be sorted out amicably.

The spokesman said the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border had been stabilized and there was no exchange of fire between the two sides now.

Asked why the United States had been included in the commission set up for resolving the Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral problems, the spokesman said the commission was welcomed by both countries and the US was accepted as an arbiter or a facilitator in matters concerning peace and security.—H.A

The “day after tomorrow the Afghan interior minister would be here and...would have a structured dialogue with his counterpart” Faisal Saleh Hayat, the spokesman said, adds AFP.

Mr Khan said the commission met last week in Kabul and formed a sub-committee which is scheduled to visit the border later this week.

He said Pakistan conveyed to the Afghan authorities that stories about incursions into their territory were exaggerated.

“There were many exaggerated stories that we have crossed into Afghanistan and moved into their territory 40 kilometres,” Mr Khan said. Such claims made earlier by local tribesmen were later denied by Afghan officials also, he said.

“Now they are not talking about miles and kilometres, but talking about 600 meters,” he said.