Pakistan and Afghanistan will set up a high-level bilateral mechanism to coordinate on security issues and amicably address border-related matters, officials said on Friday, days after violent border clashes left casualties on both sides.
The decision was taken during a meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tashkent.
Afghan National Security Adviser Haneef Atmar was also present at the meeting. Pakistan and Aghanistan agreed to constitute a high-level bilateral mechanism for consultation and coordination on issues relating to bilateral relations and cooperation, including security, movement of people and vehicles between the two countries and other relevant issues, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.
The proposed mechanism will be co-chaired by Aziz and Rabbani and with the participation of the National Security Advisers of the two countries. “It will also have a joint technical working group to deal with the concerns of both countries,” the statement said.
The main purpose of this mechanism would be not only to address and resolve issues concerning the two countries amicably but also to prevent recurrence of violent incidents like the ones witnessed recently in Torkham, it said.
The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan was closed due to clashes between the two sides in which a Pakistan Army Major and an Afghan border guard were killed earlier this month.
The clash had started when Pakistan refused to stop construction of a security gate to stop illegal crossings.