KARACHI: Officials of the Pakistan Army and the Afghan National Army have established a hotline link to discuss the border situation.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), first hotline communication took place on Tuesday between Comman­der of the Southern Com­mand Lt Gen Aamir Riaz and commander of the Afghan National Army’s 205 corps Lt Gen Daud Shah Wafadar.

“Both sides discussed issues related to Pakistan-Afghan border,” the ISPR said in a press release.

The two commanders expressed satisfaction over the establishment of the hotline communication and vowed to continue such interactions in future.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan deteriorated significantly following terrorist attacks in both countries for which they blamed each other.

After a series of attacks in Pakistan which had claimed lives of over 100 people tension between the two countries reached a breaking point and Pakistan closed all its border crossings with Afghanistan on Feb 16, alleging that the attacks were orchestrated from militants’ save havens inside the war-torn country.

Pakistan reopened the borders on March 20 as a goodwill gesture.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered opening of the borders following a meeting between Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar in London last month. The meeting was facilitated by the British government to help the two neighbours overcome the impasse in their ties over terrorist sanctuaries along their border.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2017