London to host talks on Afghan-Pak tension

KABUL officials tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the "current tense bilateral relations" between the two countries.

The National Security Council (NSC) on a statement issued to Pajhwok Afghan News said National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar left for England on a day-long visit at the invitation of the British government on Tuesday evening.

Atmar would join his British and Pakistani counterparts tomorrow in London tomorrow to hold talks on the security situation of Afghanistan and the region and particularly discuss the ongoing tension between Afghanistan and  Pakistan, the statement said.

British National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyall Grant and Advisor to Pakistan’s Prime Minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz would the meeting.

Meanwhile, Afghan envoy to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal on his Facebook page said the London meeting would focus on a mechanism for genuine Pak-Afghan cooperation on fighting terrorism, the current tense bilateral relations and the closures of crossing routes between the two countries.

Relations between the two countries soured after Pakistan sealed its border with Afghanistan following a spate of terror attacks in February.

The Pakistani army had asked Kabul to take action against 76 Pakistani terrorists operating from Afghan territory or hand them over to Pakistan so that they could be tried for their involvement in terror-related activities.

In response, Afghanistan delivered a list of 85 Taliban leaders and 32 terror camps on Pakistani soil, which it claimed were involved in "crimes against people of Afghanistan".

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