Foreign Secretary-level consultations between Pakistan and Afghanistan were held on Tuesday. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry led the Pakistani delegation. The Afghan delegation was headed by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai. The two sides reviewed all facets of Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations and exchanged views on a broad range of issues of mutual interest, including peace and stability, counter-terrorism, border security, trade and economic co-operation, Afghan refugees and regional co-operation.
Expressing satisfaction over the positive momentum of bilateral relations, the Foreign Secretary reiterated Pakistan's commitment to maintain this upward trajectory. He said that recent visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Kabul had been vital to further cement the inextricable bonds between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He stressed the need for greater political engagement, stronger focus on economic development and well co-ordinated security co-operation for achieving shared goals of peace and prosperity in the two countries as well as in the wider region.
Both sides discussed Pakistan's contribution towards development of Afghanistan including through Pakistani funded projects for reconstruction and rehabilitation in Afghanistan, and Pakistan's facilitative role in promoting an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. It was agreed that mutual trust and confidence between the two countries was leading towards better co-ordinated measures to root-out the menace of terrorism. Earlier, Karzai co-chaired, along with Chaudhry, the first Senior Officials Meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process on 25 May 2015.-PR