ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to use Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) mechanism as well as bilateral channels to undertake specific actions against terror groups.
According to a press statement issued here on Saturday by the Foreign Office of Pakistan, the understanding was reached when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani held a meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit held in the Kazakhstan’s Capital Astana on June 8-9.
The two leaders also agreed that through mutual consultations, a mechanism will be evolved to monitor and verify such actions. They also agreed to use QCG to promote peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
The prime minister further said that close cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan is important for eliminating the scourge of terrorism from the region.
Nawaz Sharif stressed the importance of reconciliation and a politically negotiated settlement as the best solution to the Afghan conflict. In this context, he highlighted the serious efforts undertaken by Pakistan for facilitating an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led process.
The prime minister said that Pakistan remains committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan’s efforts for peace, stability and economic progress of Afghanistan are a matter of its commitment to the brotherly people of Afghanistan, millions of who have been hosted in Pakistan for past 37 years.
Sharif further said that terrorism remains a common threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan and its forces are valiantly fighting the menace of terrorism. He said that Pakistan has rendered immense human and economic sacrifice in the struggle in the recent years.
In addition, the prime minister also condemned the recent terror attacks in Afghanistan, especially the wave of violence in Kabul following a truck bomber in center of the city last week resulting in loss of life and injury of hundreds of people.
