Imran Khan, Trump discuss Afghan peace process, other regional issues during telephonic conversation

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with United States President Donald Trump on Thursday night during which the former re-affirmed Islamabad's commitment to the advancement of Afghan peace and reconciliation process for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

Trump thanked Khan for his country's efforts in facilitating the release of American and Australian professors Kevin King and Timothy Weeks, who had been held hostage by the Taliban for the past three years, as per a statement by the Pakistan Prime Minister's office.

The two professors were released by the Taliban as part of a prisoner swap deal between the group and the Afghan government, under which the latter released three terrorists, including Anas Haqqani, from Bagram prison on Monday evening.

Khan deemed the release of two professors a positive development and said that Islamabad was happy that they were safe and free.

The professors had been abducted in 2016 outside the American University in Kabul where they both worked as teachers. The three terrorists released by the Afghan government as part of the prison swap are Anas Haqqani, a leading member in the Haqqani network group and senior Taliban members - Haji Mali and Abdul Rashid.

Other bilateral and regional issues were also discussed during the telephonic conversation between the two.