In a sign of better military-to-military ties, Pakistan and Afghanistan have held a series of meetings at the commander level.
Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Hidayat ur Rehman travelled to Afghanistan on Sunday for the first meeting. Commander of Southern Command Lt General Nasir Khan Janjua would visit Afghanistan for another meeting tommorow.
The ISPR in a statement on Lt Gen Rehman’s meeting in Afghanistan said: “Matters related to border security came under discussion. During the meeting ways and means were also discussed to further enhance the existing border coordination mechanism.”
Gen Rehman during the visit met the military commander of Afghanistan’s eastern Nangrahar province that borders Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The meeting was also attended by representatives of Afghan Border Police and International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).
The two sides have been working on a border coordination mechanism to replace the existing procedure involving Isaf.
Two border coordination points in Torkham and Spin Boldak have been reactivated.
The new mechanism envisages better coordination between troops in bordering areas and protocols for improving border control.
Active cooperation between the two sides was seen in the aftermath of the Dec 16 massacre of 149 schoolchildren and staff members by Taliban in an attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.
Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif accompanied by ISI Chief Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar had travelled to Kabul immediately after the attack seeking action against Afghanistan-based Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leaders. The ISI chief paid a second visit almost a week ago.
Reports state that Afghanistan has arrested five Taliban suspects of the Peshawar school attack.
