Afghan and Pakistani officials and MPs stress the need for stronger ties between Kabul and Islamabad to ensure regional security.

 AVA-  The Wolesi Jirga Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi met on Saturday with a Pakistani delegation, discussing Kabul-Islamabad ties and stability in Afghanistan.
 
Pakistani parliamentarians said Pakistan helped Afghans during the jihad against the then USSR, but they said Pakistan has not cooperated sincerely in the fight against corruption.
 
The delegation stressed the need for strengthened ties between Kabul and Islamabad.
 
“Problems and challenges have to be led by our people, and we strongly believe that for a stable Pakistan, for a prosperous Pakistan, we need to see a stable and prosperous Afghanistan. This is the concern of people at home,” said Shazia Mary, member of Pakistan’s parliament and former minister of information and culture of Pakistan.
 
The Wolesi Jirga speaker said Afghanistan is a victim of terrorism in the region. He criticized Pakistan for the lack of sincere cooperation in anti-terror efforts.
 
“The required cooperation which was provided by the Pakistan nation and Pakistan government to Afghanistan during jihad, was not provided after the victory of mujahedeen,” Ibrahimi said.
 
One member of the Pakistani delegation reacted to Ibrahimi’s remarks, and said: “No country suffered like Pakistan. We used to have more than 2,500 bombings in Pakistan and we have launched the biggest operation against terrorism and extremism in Pakistan which is like no other country. We are getting out of it and our relations on that front are improving. The recent meeting of our
 
This comes as Islamabad is to host a meeting among lawmakers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, China and Russia to discuss the war on terror.
 
Ibrahimi was invited by the Pakistani delegation to attend the meeting next week in Islamabad.