KABUL, October 2: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed on a framework for working towards “peaceable environment conducive to political process essential for an enduring Afghan peace and regional stability,” officials said Monday.
Both sides reached the understanding in talks Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Kabul on Sunday, the military said early Monday.
General Bajwa met the Afghan President and other senior officials in his daylong visit that was his first since he has assumed office in November last year.
“There was also a consensus on regular and focused dialogue at multiple levels to evolve bilateral process for minimizing misunderstanding, managing crisis situations and enhancing cooperation in order to bring peace and stability in the region,” the army statement said.
On his part, the Afghan president said that Afghanistan and Pakistan are friendly countries and together both shall move towards enduring peace and stability, statement from the army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said.
Issues related to long-term peace, cooperation against the shared threats, coordination between respective counter-terrorism campaigns to restrict space for non-state actors, intelligence sharing, trade and commerce, and people-to-people contacts were discussed.
The army chief offered Pakistan’s complete support in achieving shared interests in war against terrorism including training and capacity building of Afghan Security Forces, the army said.
Besides the delegation level talks, General Bajwa and the Afghan also held one-on-one meeting at Presidential Palace.
During the meetings, issues of common interest came under discussion and both sides reviewed the prevailing security environment in the region in general and the state of bilateral relationship in particular. An exchange of views and perspectives spanned the full range of Pak-Afghan relationship.
From Afghan side Afghan 2nd Vice President, First Deputy Chief Executive officer, 2nd Deputy Chief Executive officer, NSA, NDS Chief, Defence minister, Interior Minister, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan and Afghan Army Chief attended the meeting.
The Army Chief was accompanied by Foreign Secretary, DG ISI, Pakistan Ambassador at Kabul and the COAS staff.-DNA
