Meeting held between Pak, Afghan military commanders at Peshawar Corps Headquarters

Military commanders of both countries agree on better coordination, enhanced security measures

ISLAMABAD: In a meeting held in Peshawar on Saturday, military commanders from Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to enhance coordination and security measures on both sides of the border.

An eight-member delegation of the Afghan National Army, headed by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Mohammad Sharif Yaftali, visited the Corps Headquarters Peshawar and called on Corps Commander Lieutenant General Hidayat ur Rehman, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The visit was a follow up of Army Chief General Raheel Sharif’s last visit to Afghanistan, during which it was decided that corps commanders from both sides would hold meetings for better border management.



The delegates discussed matters pertaining to mutual interest and security arrangements at the Pak-Afghan border, a statement from ISPR said.

Both militaries have also established a hotline to exchange views on security matters in line with decisions taken during the army chief's visit.

The delegation's visit to Pakistan comes days after a group of the Taliban massacred over 20 students, teachers and security guards in a brutal attack at the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda.



The army claimed that a Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander spearheaded the attack from Afghanistan. The army chief shared details about the attack with top Afghan leaders and the foreign forces' commander in Afghanistan.

TTP’s Darra Adam Khel leader Omar Mansoor, in a video message, had claimed responsibility for the attack and warned his group would carrying out more such attacks.

Mansoor was also behind the 2014 attack on the Army Public School  and the Pakistan Air Force residential complex in Peshawar last year.

An audio conversation between the TTP commander and a Pakistani journalist was played during last week's press conference by Director General ISPR Lt Gen Asim Bajwa.

Pakistan has long been seeking Kabul's help for better border coordination to check illegal crossing. Both sides had earlier agreed on the establishment of bilateral border coordination centres at Torkham and Chaman points; however, they are yet to be set up.