Politics
17:12, 02-Oct-2017
Pakistan army chief visits Kabul, discusses mutual interests with Afghan president
["china"]
Share
Copied
Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday afternoon and held a meeting with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to discuss issues of mutual interests, said a statement of the presidential palace on Monday.
"In the meeting, a variety of issues including the war on terror, regional security, bilateral relations, peace and stability, trade and transit relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan were discussed," the statement said.
The visit of Pakistan's top military official to Kabul came amid increasing militancy in Afghanistan and Washington's new strategy on the conflict-hit country where the United States has been experiencing for nearly 16 years.
A US Navy Corpsman and US soldier take part in a helicopter Medevac exercise in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo
A US Navy Corpsman and US soldier take part in a helicopter Medevac exercise in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, July 6, 2017. /Reuters Photo
It was the first top-level interaction between Kabul and Islamabad after the announcement in August of the new US policy by President Donald Trump
Trump authorized a troop increase in Afghanistan and also threatened to withdraw aid and other support for Pakistan if the country does not shut down what US officials said are Afghan Taliban "safe havens" on its territory.
President Ghani stressed at the meeting the importance of taking practical steps to consolidate trust and confident environment between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the statement said.
Pakistan Army Chief of Staff General Bajwa said at the meeting that his country "would provide any cooperation in war on terrorism and supports an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace talks," it added.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency