Islamabad : Top Pakistani and Afghan defence officials are scheduled to hold key security talks in Islamabad Thursday, officials said.
Afzal Aman, Director General Military Operations (DGMO) of Afghan National Army, will lead a six-member delegation to talks with senior Pakistani defence officials, Xinhua reported Wednesday.
The talks come at a crucial time when Pakistan is seeking Afghanistan’s cooperation in beefing up security along its tribal border region.
Pakistan has also asked Afghanistan to stop militants incursions along the border near North Waziristan Agency.
Security officials will hold follow-up discussions on the issues discussed during last week’s visit to Islamabad by Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s top security adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta to “enhance their security coordination”.
Last week, the two sides agreed to establish a joint working group on security aimed at strengthening bilateral security cooperation.
The joint working group is co-chaired by the Pakistan foreign secretary and Afghan deputy foreign minister and comprises representatives of relevant security institutions.
A Pakistan foreign ministry official told reporters in Islamabad Wednesday that Pakistan will take up the issue of Pakistani Taliban hideouts on the other side of the border in Thursday’s talks.