Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Senior army officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan would meet in Kabul to discuss the implementation on new border management policy, Daily Times learnt on Saturday.

Sources in the Defence Ministry said Pakistan would press Afghanistan to stop cross border violations. They added that Director General Military Operations Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza would lead the Pakistani delegation at joint technical working group meeting while Afghan side would be led by their DGMO.

Joint technical working group would be briefed about steps taken under new border management policy across all border crossing points with a view to ensure that cross border movement between Pakistan and Afghanistan are fully documented, sources said.

Sources added that Pakistan would take the Afghan side into confidence on new initiatives regarding border control introduced at Torkham, which would subsequently be extended to other crossing points in accordance with the institutional capacity of the relevant departments.

Both military officials would also discuss the measures to completely stop terrorist infiltration. Pakistan would raise the issue of capacity building of Afghan Army and other border forces, sources said. According to Military Operations Directorate, 86 cross border violations from Afghan territory have taken place since the commencement of operation Khyber 3. In mid August, the Defence Ministry officials informed the Parliamentary Committee on Defence that Pakistan would press Afghanistan to take action against terrorists who fled to Afghanistan after the Pakistan Army started Operation Zarb-e-Azb. The terrorists were trying to come back but the Pakistan Army would never allow them to return back. For this the new border management policy has been introduced and Pakistan has made it clear that the policy would be implemented.