President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday reiterated to continue the ongoing fight against terrorism and extremism till the restoration of regional peace.
The one-to-one meeting between the two leaders at the Presidential Palace here, focused on a range of issues, including bilateral relations and regional situation with specific reference to Afghanistan’s scenario after start of leaving of the United States troops.
President Zardari, who arrived here on a day-long visit to offer Fateha and condolences over the death of younger brother of Hamid Karzai, also utilised the opportunity and held a one-to-one meeting with the Afghan president.
Spokesperson to the President, Farhatullah Babar said that President Zardari told his Afghan counterpart that Pakistan was a strong supporter of Afghanistan’s peace and stability.
He said Pakistan believed that the solution to Afghan problem rested with its people who must be given an opportunity to decide about their future.
President Zardari said it was time to prioritise the well-being of Afghan people, who had been suffering the effects of war-ravaged economy for decades.
He said Pakistan would act as a supportive neighbour to Afghanistan in its efforts to attain development, peace and prosperity.
The two leaders also discussed the issue of border violations and attacks by the militants from the Afghan side into Pakistani territories at the Pak-Afghan border and in retaliation shelling of mortars by the Pakistani troops.
President Karzai on the occasion raised the issue of held-up loaded Afghan containers carrying goods, including perishable items and food, under the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (PATTA).
President Zardari assured the Afghan leader that the containers with food and perishable items would be immediately allowed transit through Pakistan while the Commerce Ministry would be asked to look into other issues.
