ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday assured the Afghan High Peace Council that Pakistan would continue to extend every possible support to its Afghan brothers in their journey towards peace and socio-economic development.
He said that a peaceful, stable and economically developed Afghanistan was vital for Pakistan's own stability and prosperity.
He said that Pakistan firmly believed in the Afghan-led and the Afghan-owned reconciliation process, which was the most viable way to ensure permanent peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The president said this during his meeting with the Afghan delegation led by Salahuddain Rabbani, Chairman Afghan Peace Council at the presidency.
Peace process in Afghanistan, regional situation and Pak- afghan bilateral relations were discussed during the meeting.
Briefing media representatives about the meeting, Spokesperson to the president, Senator Farhatullah Babar said the president welcomed the Afghan delegation and said that the people of Pakistan had a special place for late Burhanuddin Rabbani and assured that the country will continue to work with him in fulfilling his late father Burhanuddin Rabbani's unfinished agenda for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Commenting on efforts to curb extremism, the president said that terrorism was a common threat for both the countries and urged for working together on both sides for eliminating this scourge and to ensure peace and stability in the region.
The president also stressed the need to focus on curbing the financing of terrorism as there exist a clear nexus between the large scale heroin trade and terrorism. He said that the money generated from the heroin trade was being used to finance terror operations and vowed to conquer the heroin trade through collective actions.
The spokesperson said that discussing recent incidents of shelling on the borders the two leaders urged for increased coordination between the two countries to stop such incidents in future.
Rabbani thanked the president for the support and cooperation Pakistan has been extending towards peace, stability and development of Afghanistan.
He said that Afghanistan was keen to further strengthen its brotherly relationship with Pakistan as the destinies of the people of the two countries were interlinked.
The meeting was also attended by Syed Naveed Qamar, minister for defence, Spokesperson to the President, Senator Farhatullah Babar, Lt Gen Zaheer ul Islam, DG, ISI, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Foreign Secretary and Muhammad Sadiq Khan, Pakistan Ambassador to Afghanistan.
