Gen Bajwa, Afghan President Ghani hold 'constructive' meeting in Kabul

KABUL: The Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani held a 'constructive' meeting at Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sunday.

Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Omar Zakhilwal in his tweet termed the meeting between the two leaders as constructive, candid, positive, respectful and encouraging.

“Candid, positive, respectful, constructive and encouraging meeting in a long time. I'm proud to have played a facilitating role in all this,” Zakhilwal tweeted.

Candid, positive, respectful, constructive & encouraging meeting in a long time. I'm proud to have played a facilitating role in all this. pic.twitter.com/RRL9gihs4A

— Dr Omar Zakhilwal (@DrOmarZakhilwal) October 1, 2017

Afghanistan’s Presidential office in a statement said General Bajwa and Ghani discussed various important issues including security in the region, bilateral relationships, peace and stability, anti-terror efforts, business and transit relationships, and mid-term and long-term relationships between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Ghani marked the meeting as a new season of relationships between Afghanistan and Pakistan and said good opportunities of cooperation are being provided and both countries should get the most out of the current situation.

The Pakistan delegation meanwhile said Islamabad is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in counterterrorism efforts which is a joint threat and added that they support the Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process, the statement added.

Both sides emphasized that they must forget the past and work hard for a better future, read the statement. 

Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar was also present in the meeting.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa is on a day-long visit to Afghanistan, the Pakistan army said in a statement earlier.

The army chief will also hold a meeting with other senior civilian and military officials during the visit, according to the statement.

According to a Voice of America report, General Qamar Javed Bajwa is undertaking a crucial visit to Afghanistan where his delegation is to discuss with Afghan counterparts ways to strengthen bilateral, security cooperation and border management efforts.