ISLAMABAD, April 15: Turkey will host talks between the presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan later this month in a bid to reduce the growing political tension between the two neighbouring countries, it is learnt.

The Turkish initiative, which appears to have been encouraged by the US, will bring together President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Ankara for talks later this month, informed sources told Dawn on Sunday.

Both the presidents will fly to the Turkish capital on April 29 and hold talks in the presence of top Turkish leadership, sources said, not ruling out the possibility of a separate one-on-one session between Musharraf and Karzai afterwards.

Hence President Musharraf’s visit to Turkey on April 29-30 will not be in a bilateral context.