DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has reassured Afghan side that Pakistan is open to any suggestion that facilitate peace in Afghanistan.
The army chief met his counterpart Afghan Chief of General Staff Gen Sharif Yaftali on the sidelines of the Counter Terrorism Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) and candidly discussed the Afghan situation.
According to Inter-State Public Relations, Gen Bajwa assured full cooperation to Afghanistan, but said that Pakistan cannot bring Afghan war into Pakistan. He reassured the Afghan side that Pakistan is open to any suggestion that facilitate peace in Afghanistan.
He said that Pakistan has already cleared all its areas indiscriminately and has started unilateral border security measures including fencing. The other key factor for enduring peace besides border security management is the dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees.
Gen Bajwa offered to form a Pak-Afghan army working group to jointly work and formulate security recommendations for government-level discussion aimed at addressing mutual concerns. Afghan CGS agreed to the proposal and thanked Gen Bajwa for his relentless efforts towards peace.
Earlier, the QCCM meeting was attended by senior military leadership of member countries including Gen Li Zuocheng China, General Sobirzoda Imomali Abdurrahim Tajikistan and General Sharif Yaftali Afghanistan.
All four leaders welcomed the QCCM initiative and expressed hope that an inclusive and cooperative regional approach will prove best for eradication of terrorism.
Speaking on the occasion, General Bajwa highlighted achievements of Pakistan in fight against terrorism for eliminating terrorists’ safe havens from its soil. He said that terrorism being a transnational threat can only be defeated through intelligence sharing and coordinated effective border management.
The participants also signed an outline cooperative mechanism which will come into force after its endorsement by respective governments.
