Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday told Afghanistan that management of the border between the two countries was crucial to combating terrorism, as non-state actors were trying to undo the border security measures being taken by the two sides.

Pakistani and Afghan officials held talks on Monday on border management at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai led a six-member Afghan delegation to the talks with the Pakistani officials led by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.

At the outset of the talks, the Pakistan foreign secretary condemned Monday’s suicide bombings in Kabul and other parts of the country. At Monday’s meeting, the two sides also discussed ways and means to check illegal cross-border movement.

Sources in the Foreign Office told Daily Times that border management would benefit both countries. They said that terrorism and smuggling could be stopped only through a strong border management mechanism.

According to the sources, the Pakistani officials told the Afghan delegation that Pakistan planned to set up gates at all crossing points on the border with Afghanistan. The Afghan officials were of the view that Pakistan should have consulted Kabul before setting up a gate at the Torkham border between the two countries.

Referring to the talks between the two countries, the Foreign Office said in a statement that the two sides laid stress on a suitable mechanism for consultations on border management. It said that effective border management was vital to promoting peace, countering terrorism and strengthening relations between the two countries. It said that issues relating to the Torkham border and border management came under discussion during the meeting between the officials of the two countries.

The Afghan delegation arrived in Islamabad after a telephone conversation between Sartaj Aziz, adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, and Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar on June 15 on the situation arising out of the recent events at the Torkham border. Aziz and Atmar discussed ways to manage the border.

The Foreign Office said in its statement that talks between the two delegations were held in a cordial atmosphere marked by a mutual desire to amicably resolve border-related issues. Both sides decided to work in the spirit of good neighbourly relations and friendly cooperation between the two countries. The two sides agreed that the ideas discussed at Monday’s meeting would be shared with the leadership of the two countries and they would be refined during a meeting between Pakistan’s national security adviser and the Afghan foreign minister on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tashkent on June 23-24.

Karzai also paid a courtesy visit to Aziz.

These talks are the first senior-level contact between the two countries aimed at lowering tension at the Torkham border. Both sides are reviewing all aspects of border management and would evolve a mechanism for better border management.