Imran Khan and Ashraf Ghani discuss progress in Afghan peace process

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called Prime Minister Imran Khan and extended felicitations on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.

The prime minister reciprocated the Eid greetings and observed that this year, Eid-ul-Azha came when the international community was facing a number of challenges, including COVID-19.

He commiserated with President Ghani on the loss of lives in Afghanistan due to COVID-19 and expressed the hope that the coronavirus pandemic would be successfully contained, a press release issued by the PM Media Office here said.

Prime Minister Khan informed President Ghani of the government’s strategy against COVID-19 in Pakistan with the particular emphasis on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy.

During the telephonic conversation, the two leaders also discussed the latest stage in the Afghan peace process.

The prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s positive contribution to the peace process, strongly stressing that peace in Afghanistan was of paramount importance.

He expressed the hope that the current momentum would be further built to implement the U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement in its entirety leading to intra-Afghan negotiations at the earliest.

Referring to the various institutional mechanisms between the two countries, the prime minister highlighted the importance of working together to further strengthen bilateral relations and said Pakistan looked forward to the next session of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) at the earliest.