Neighbourly help: Army general in Kabul to bolster border security

Corps commander Peshawar holds meetings with Afghan counterpart

ISLAMABAD: A key Pakistani military commander visited Afghanistan as part of efforts to dislodge terrorist sanctuaries on both sides of the border, an official statement said on Monday.

The visit of Lt Gen Hidayatur Rehman, corps commander Peshawar, was the latest in a series of high-profile visits undertaken by officials from the two neighbouring countries in recent weeks.

The corps commander met his Afghan counterpart as well as representatives of Afghan Border Police and International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) to discuss matters related to border security, a statement issued by the army media-wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said.

“During the meeting ways and means were also discussed to further enhance the existing border coordination mechanism,” the handout added.

It also stated that Lt Gen Nasir Khan Janjua, commander Southern command, is also scheduled to visit Afghanistan on Wednesday, adding that he will also meet his counterpart across the border.

“These visits are aimed to enhance ongoing military-to-military relationship between the two countries,” the statement said.

Earlier, the Afghan security forces had launched a massive operation against the hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) close to the border area at the request of Pakistan, which has sought decisive push against the militant outfit following the December 16 massacre at the Army Public School in Peshawar.

Soon after the tragic attack, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, along with head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, travelled to Kabul and presented ‘compelling evidence’ linking the Peshawar carnage with the TTP sanctuaries on Afghan side of the border.

Reports suggested that Afghan authorities had also arrested five suspected militants, who are thought to be directly linked with the Peshawar incident.

An unnamed Pakistani official told Reuters that Islamabad and Kabul are engaged in talks for the handover of the five suspected militants.

The five were detained last week after Pakistan sent a list of suspects to security services in Afghanistan, both Pakistani and Afghan officials told the media on condition of anonymity.

“We are investigating whether the five detained are the ones wanted by Pakistan,” one of the Afghan officials said. Another Pakistani official claimed that another 20 to 25 people had been detained in Pakistan in connection with the grisly massacre but some had already been released.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2015.