Army chief discusses regional security situation with Afghan president

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed on taking pragmatic steps towards better future.

This was stated in a joint declaration after a meeting between Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Sunday.

Both the sides discussed the security situation, efforts for combating terrorism and trade relations.

The Afghan president said peace in Afghanistan was equally beneficial for both the countries.

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He said both countries needed to take advantage of available opportunities.

The Pakistani delegation on the occasion expressed support for the Afghan-led peace process in Afghanistan.

Afghan media reported that Pak-Afghan border management and transit trade was also discussed during the meeting.

This should be noted that Pakistan has already stressed on both the countries’ closely coordination for overcoming the scourge of terrorism.

Pakistan has acknowledged that Afghanistan has been in turmoil for over forty years, and this situation has given space to terrorists. “Afghani people have suffered a lot due to terrorism so have we.”

Both countries have also been trading accusations of fomenting political unrest through militancy and terrorism against each other.

In the 72^nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September this year, Ashraf Ghani had made an appeal to Pakistan to work together against terrorism.

Applauding US President Donald Trump’s new policy for Afghanistan and South Asia, Ghani said this would send a positive message to Taliban insurgents.

On the other hand, Pakistan had refused to be a “scapegoat” for Afghanistan’s bloodshed or to fight wars for others, PM Abbasi told the United Nations in his speech.

“Having suffered and sacrificed so much due to our role in the global counterterrorism campaign, it is especially galling for Pakistan to be blamed for the military or political stalemate in Afghanistan,” Abbasi said.

“We are not prepared to be anyone’s scapegoat,” he remarked.