Pakistani PM Imran Khan, Iranian commander discuss Afghanistan

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan discussed the latest developments in neighboring Afghanistan.

In a meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, the senior Iranian military commander and the Pakistani prime minister talked about a range of issues, including the bilateral relations and the situation in Afghanistan.

Imran Khan pointed to his last month’s meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Dushanbe, and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to further bolster ties with Tehran, in border, economic, military and security issues.

The top Iranian general, for his part, described as significant his meetings earlier in the day with Pakistani Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Baqeri said that Tehran and Islamabad needed to shore up their close cooperation, adding that the two neighbors have witnessed significant progress in relations over the past years.

The two sides also conferred on major regional developments, including in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani premier stressed that there is no military solution to Afghanistan’s problems, calling for the formation of an inclusive government comprising of all Afghan groups, Press TV reported.

The ongoing developments in neighboring Afghanistan have been a major concern for both Iran and Pakistan.

During their meeting in Dushanbe in September, President Raisi told Imran Khan that the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan by the US forces only brought destruction and massacre to the war-ravaged country.

The Iranian president said efforts should be made to form a government in Afghanistan that includes all groups and ethnicities, and is based on the will of the people of this country.



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