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Army Chief meets with Anthony Blinken, exchanges views on regional security

The US deputy Secretary of State Mr Tony Blinken Thursday called on Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to discuss the bilateral ties of two countries.

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Antony Blinken said Pakistan must adhere to the “standard” set by Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif through his statements on not differentiating between terrorist organisations.

Speaking to the media on the just-concluded ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process on peace in Afghanistan on Wednesday, Wang described the conference a success which witnessed the passage of the Islamabad declaration, with all relevant parties making new commitments.

They discussed matters related to security challenges and reiterated the need of early resumption of reconciliation process to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan.

US Deputy Secretary of State appreciated Minister’s efforts especially towards checking human trafficking and illegal movement of people and hoped that the new policy on INGOs would facilitate rather than hinder their work.

China wishes the Afghan government could stay in the course of holding peace talks with the Taliban, and China is ready to continue to facilitate and help build a platform for the revival of the reconciliation process. However he stressed the need that Pakistan need to extend its efforts against “groups who have havens” here and were operating against Afghan and USA forces. “It’s exactly what we’ve been strongly trying to encourage”, the Spokesman added.

The prospect of such a conflict, he said, was “one of the reasons why it is so important – in our judgment – that India and Pakistan find ways to communicate, to reduce tensions, and ultimately to find a more cooperative relationship”.

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Welcoming the recent meeting in Bangkok between PM National Security Adviser Lt Gen (R) Nasir Janjua and Indian PM’s Adviser on National Security Ajit Davol, he said improvement in relations between two neighbours were good for peace and stability of the region.

US Deputy Secretary of State appreciated efforts of Pakistan Army for peace and stability in region