ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday received the newly-appointed Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil for a meeting and discussed issues of mutual interest as well as the Afghan peace process.

According to the military’s media wing, the army chief welcomed the Afghanistan ambassador and expressed the hope that his services will help optimise Pakistan- Afghanistan bilateral relations.

“Regional security situation, the ongoing Afghan peace process, border management and defence and security cooperation were discussed [during the meeting as well],” read the ISPR statement.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are trying to rest their estranged relationship.

In a recent visit of Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), to Pakistan in September 2020, he appreciated Pakistan’s efforts with regards to the Afghan peace process, and said that he was concluding his three-day trip to Islamabad “with a very positive impression and hope in his heart”.

During the Pakistan-Afghanistan Investment and Trade Forum 2020, in October 2020, the two countries adopted more than 140 recommendations to promote Pakistani-Afghan trade and investment in a number of sectors including construction, textiles, mineral mining, agriculture, livestock, medical tourism, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and banking.

Separately, the army chief also met Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020