Afghan president to visit Pakistan from tomorrow

Afghanistan's newly-elected President Ashraf Ghani will be on his first state visit to Pakistan from tomorrow to discuss bilateral ties and the security situation, crucial in reviving peace talks with Taliban.
Ghani is visiting Pakistan, blamed by his predecessor for harboring militants, amid recent thaw in the ties between the two coutries amid allegation of cross border violations.
"He (Ghani) will hold bilateral meetings with President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discuss bilateral relations and regional security situation," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam today said at her weekly briefing.
Various issues related to the border security will come under discussion during the meetings with the top leadership, Aslam said.

Ghani is visiting Pakistan after recent high-level trips by Pakistani officials to Kabul, including Pakistan national security and foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz, Army chief of staff Gen Raheel Sharif and the new head of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar.
Islamabad recognised the Taliban when it was in power in Afghanistan and its leadership fled to Pakistan after the US-led invasion in 2001. Since then, Taliban fighters and other militants have used Pakistan's tribal regions as a base for attacks targeting Afghan and NATO forces.
Pakistan denies providing support to Taliban fighters and other militants, though many allege the country uses the extremists covertly against its neighbours.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeatedly accused Pakistan of using the extremists to pursue its objectives in Afghanistan.