Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Monday agreed to support "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiatives" to establish peace in the region, a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday said.

Issues of regional security were discussed during their meeting on the sidelines of the Quadrilateral Counter Terrorism Coordination forum in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, the ISPR statement added.

According to the statement, the two leaders were unanimous in their views regarding peace in Afghanistan and the region.

President Rahmon "appreciated the role [played by] Pakistan and the Pakistan army" in the fight against terrorism," the statement said.

The COAS expressed his gratitude to Rahmon for hosting the QCCM initiative as the two pledged to enhance and expand Pakistan-Tajikistan cooperation in the fields of defence and security.

A day earlier, while speaking at the summit — which is also being attended by China and Afghanistan — Gen Bajwa had emphasised that terrorism being a transnational threat could only be defeated through intelligence sharing and coordinated border management.

On the sidelines of the event, the COAS also met with Afghan Chief of General Staff Gen Sharif Yaftali and assured Pakistan's fullest cooperation to Afghanistan.

The COAS, however, stated that the Afghan war would not be allowed to spill over into Pakistan.

Gen Bajwa said that Pakistan had already cleared all its areas indiscriminately and had taken unilateral measures for border security, including fencing.