Imran Khan vows to reset frayed ties with Afghanistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former cricketer Imran Khan has vowed to reset frayed ties with neighbouring Afghanistan and pressed for cordial relations if he would be the Pakistan Prime Minister.

Imran reportedly made the statement after he met deputy Afghan foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai at his Islamabad residence on Tuesday.

"PTI Chairman Imran Khan welcomed Deputy Foreign Minister Karzai to Pakistan and said that given his Afghanistan roots, cordial relations with Afghanistan would remain his top priority if he wins the next elections and becomes Prime Minister," Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) was quoted by the Khaama Press as saying.

Commenting on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), the joint peace plan between the two countries, Karzai said that the agreement was finalised in a positive spirit.

The MoFA announced on Tuesday that officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan finalised the joint action plan on peace, aimed at ensuring peace and stability between the two countries.

The Afghan deputy foreign minister further said that Kabul and Islamabad wanted to strengthen trade and economic ties, adding such relations had to be "depoliticise" in the interests of the people of both countries.

Invoking cricket as a popular sport in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Karzai added, "Both countries enjoy numerous commonalities. Cricket is an emerging and popular game in Afghanistan, while also popular in Pakistan. Through cricket, both nations can come together making tangible progress in building more confidence."

Kabul and Islamabad are aiming to reset their frayed ties after the former lambasted the latter for supporting terrorism.

On Sunday, an agreement was signed between Afghan and Pakistani officials to resolve problems regarding transit and trade between the two countries. In return, Afghan officials agreed to lift limitations and conditions on quarantine certificates for Afghan goods which are being exported to Pakistan.