Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: Afghan and Pakistani officials to hold first meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on the Durand Line management and security-related issues in Kabul on July 26 (Tuesday), Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a media statement.
Pakistan delegation to this meeting will be led by Director General Military Operations. The delegations will include representatives of the concerned ministries and departments, the statement added.
Afghan Foreign Minister, Salahuddin Rabbani and Adviser to the Pakistani Primer on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz had agreed to constitute a high-level bilateral mechanism at the level of the foreign ministers of the two countries that would also include the national security advisers of Afghanistan and Pakistan as well.
According to the statement, the decision was taken on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tashkent on June 24. The aim of this meeting is to focus on consultation and coordination on issues including security, movement of people and vehicles between the two countries and other related issues.
It was decided that the mechanism will also have a joint technical working group to deal with the mutual concerns.
The meeting is coming after skirmishes occurred along the Durand Line that left casualties on both sides. Clashes along the line started between Afghan and Pakistan forces when Pakistani paramilitary forces tried to build a gate inside Afghanistan.
After the fighting started at Torkham, the spokesman to Nangarhar’s governor, Attaullah Khogyani, told media that first Afghan forces attempted to solve the problem orally, but Pakistani forces refused to stop the construction work which resulted in armed clashes at the crossing point.
Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed on ceasefire after three days of clashes.
