PESHAWAR: A top military delegation of the Afg­han National Army (ANA) visited the Peshawar Corps Headquarters on Friday. They discussed bilateral security interests and border mechanism with their Pakistani counterparts.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the seven-member high-level Afghan military delegation, led by ANA’s Commander 201 Corps Lt Gen Muhammad Zaman Waziri, visited HQ 11 Corps Peshawar.

The delegation met Corps Commander Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt. The visit took place two days after Afghan Ambassador Dr Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal met Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

DGMOs of two armies attend the meeting

Last month, the Com­mander of the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) and United States Forces in Afghanis­tan, Gen John W. Nicholson, visited Islama­bad. The frequent visits and meetings are seen as a thaw in the restrained relations between the two countries.

The ISPR said that the directors general of military operations of both armies and Inspector General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Frontier Corps were also present at the meeting between Lt Gen Butt and Lt Gen Waziri.

“Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to continue the fight against terrorism. Areas of mutual security interests and concerns, including border security mechanism, were deliberated upon during the interaction,” said the ISPR statement.

“Both sides concluded that peace and stability can best be achieved through complementary efforts and enhanced cooperation,” it further added.

The Afghan military delegation’s visit occurred at a time when Operation Khyber-IV in the Rajgal valley of Khyber Agency is almost complete. Security forces launched the operation in the valley near the Afghan border on July 16.

Over 10,000 troops and paramilitary troops backed by the air force are taking part in the operation in Rajgal — which is considered a strong bastion of banned outfits including the militant Islamic State group.

The Afghan defence ministry expressed reservations over Khyber-IV and asked Islamabad to target the Taliban and Haqqani network’s militants in Quetta and Islamabad — not in the areas along the Durand Line. The Afghan government has also been opposing fencing of the border.

The ISPR said that the statement of the Afghan government was unwarranted and ran counter to the Pakistan Army’s efforts for better Pak-Afghan coordination and cooperation.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2017