DG ISI dashes to Kabul

PESHAWAR: Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar went to Kabul on an emergency visit on Sunday and called on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace.
According to a statement released from the presidential office, the issue relating to the handing over of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah was raised by the DG ISI and both the sides discussed the key issues, including efforts to eradicate terrorism. “Both the sides discussed steps to check terrorism and extremism and restore peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region,” the statement added. The DG ISI also held an extensive discussion on security issues with the Afghan army leadership.
A delegation of Pakhtun political leaders from Pakistan had also recently visited Afghanistan and called on President Ashraf Ghani and others. The DG ISI and Chief of the Army Staff Raheel Sharif toured Kabul on December 17 last, hours after the Army Public School and College massacre in Peshawar.
Agencies add: According to diplomatic sources, the two sides discussed the security situation on their common borders and agreed to further improve the coordination to check border crossing by the terrorists.
Both sides also discussed ways to further strengthen the joint efforts against terrorism and extremism. They also discussed peace and security in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region as well as several other regional matters.Pakistani and Afghan security officials have increased contacts following the inauguration of President Ashraf Ghani in September.
Last month, the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, and his Afghan counterpart General Sher Muhammad Karimi had agreed at the army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi that their commanders would begin meetings immediately to further coordinate the cross border security operations.