Afghan president urges Pakistan to take action against militants

Ghani urges Pakistan to support reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan, agree on exchange of prisoners

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has urged Pakistani authorities to take action against militants who were responsible for the recent spate of violence in Afghanistan.

An Afghan Presidential Palace official said on Saturday that President Ghani had written a letter to Pakistani civil and military authorities this week, urging them to agree on an exchange of prisoners with Afghanistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan currently have no formal extradition agreement but both routinely ask each other to hand over wanted people.

A Pakistani official said he was unaware of the letter.

The letter, sent sometime this week, also asked Pakistan to support reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan, seeking “practical steps."

The letter comes after the Taliban announced its Spring Offensive in late April followed by a string of deadly attacks in Afghanistan, particularly attacks on guest houses in capital Kabul.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already strongly condemned the Taliban Spring Offensive when he spoke at a joint presser with Ghani in Kabul in early May.

It was the first time a Pakistani Prime Minister had offered harsh remarks against the Taliban leaders.