Pak PM, Afghan President hold meeting, discuss peace process

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani held a meeting here on Thursday and discussed the Afghan peace process.

"One on one meeting held between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Islamabad. Matters pertaining to bilateral cooperation in various sectors and regional situation were discussed in the meeting," tweeted the government of Pakistan.

Ghani reached Pakistan for his two-day official visit earlier today. He received a guard of honour on arrival at the PM House upon his arrival.

Earlier in the day, Ghani met Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Pakistan Government has claimed that Ghani "appreciated" Pakistan's efforts for the peace process.

Qureshi emphasised that Pakistan wants to play a role in "achieving peace in Afghanistan with sincerity and an open heart".

"For decades now, the people of Afghanistan have suffered due to the security situation and instability prevalent in their country. That must end and Pakistan wants to play its due role in achieving that objective," FM Qureshi said.

"Pakistan has always emphasised the need for result-oriented talks. We firmly believe that is the only way to establish durable peace in Afghanistan," he added.

This visit becomes doubly important after the first Afghan peace conference titled 'Lahore Process' held on June 22 in Bhurban Murree.

According to ARY News, more than 50 delegates, including heads of all Afghan political parties and the political advisor to Ghani, attended the meet. Former Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, senators and members of Afghan parliament were also in attendance.

Ghani had earlier undertaken a bilateral visit to Pakistan in November 2014 and subsequently, came to attend the Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process (HoA) Ministerial Conference in Islamabad in December 2015, Gulf News reported.