ISLAMABAD, Sept 11: Pakistan and Afghanistan worked out on Thursday a road map for re-engagement at all forums and agreed to convene the much-delayed mini-jirga soon after Eidul Fitr.

“This afternoon I received a call from Afghan Foreign Minister Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta and both of us had a detailed discussion on various aspects of our bilateral relations. We agreed on certain steps for re-engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan at all forums,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said at an Iftar reception.

The decision is a follow-up to the discussions between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Karzai on the sidelines of the Saarc summit in Colombo last month.

A joint statement after the Colombo talks had said that foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan would prepare the ground for renewed engagement at political, military and intelligence levels.

Mr Qureshi noted that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which got strained after the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, had witnessed a marked improvement and misunderstandings had been removed to a great extent, particularly after President Karzai visited Islamabad to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Asif Zardari.

“Differences are because of a communication gap between leaderships of the two countries,” he added.

Both foreign ministers agreed to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session later this month.

“During our meeting in New York we will carry forward the discussions between President Zardari and President Karzai,” Mr Qureshi said, adding that dates for Dr Spanta’s visit to Islamabad had yet to be finalised. An invitation had been extended to him last week.

Dates for holding the mini-jirga are being finalised and list of members has already been exchanged.

Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to hold a mini-jirga as a follow-up to the grand jirga held in Kabul last year.

The foreign ministers also agreed to hold the third Regional Economic Cooperation Conference in Islamabad in the second half of November.

Afghanistan had dissociated itself from the conference, which was to be held in April this year.

The two sides agreed to reactivate the Pakistan-Afghan Joint Economic Commission. The commission will sort out issues relating to bilateral trade and other aspects of economic cooperation.

They also decided to involve national security advisers of both countries in bilateral talks.