Pakistan welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai's thumping victory in the landmark election, saying already-friendly ties between the neighbours will be further strengthened under his rule.
"We are happy President Karzai has won the first democratic elections in Afghanistan and we wish him all the success," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told AFP.
Afghanistan's Joint Electoral Management Body on Wednesday declared Karzai the winner three-and-a-half weeks after he contested the ballot against 17 rivals.
"Pakistan hopes that under his leadership the relationship between the two friendly countries will prosper and strengthened," Rashid said.
He said Pakistan played a crucial role in the smooth conduct of the election "which shows that we want stable and prosperous Afghanistan".
Pakistan facilitated out-of-country voting by Afghan refugees here. Of just over eight million votes, 577,776 ballots were cast in Pakistan.
Rashid said stability in Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan and Islamabad would continue to "offer maximum support" to help the Karzai government in rebuilding the country hit by decades of war.
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