ISLAMABAD, March 8: The first meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Jirga Commission will be held here on March 10 to discuss important issues, including a reported plan of Nato forces to strike inside Pakistan, government sources told Dawn on Thursday.

A high-powered delegation of Afghan officials is arriving in Pakistan for three days to attend the meeting, the sources said.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, head of Pakistan’s Jirga Commission, will lead the commission meeting along with his Afghan counterpart Syed Ahmad Gillani. NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai and Balochistan Governor Owais Ghani will also attend the meeting.

The sources said Islamabad had decided to raise the issue of the reported plan of Nato forces to strike inside Pakistan with the Kabul administration.

They said there was an apprehension that the basic purpose to form the joint jirga could be affected if the Nato forces launched strikes into Pakistan’s territory. The idea behind forming the jirga was to hold dialogue with tribal people of either side to control terrorist activities and cross border movement.

The sources said although Pakistan had opposed the reported plan of the Nato forces through the Foreign Office, the issue would be raised in the jirga commission so that Pakistan’s point of view could be conveyed again to Nato through Afghan jirga officials.

The Afghan jirga has 18 members, 10 of whom are visiting Pakistan.

The two countries have formed the jirga commission to address common problems like movement of terrorists across border and repatriation of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan.

The jirga will also review deals made by Pakistan with tribal people of North and South Waziristan.