Pak ready for joint patrol on Afghan border: Abbasi

Islamabad:  Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that his country was willing to set up joint patrols with Afghanistan to combat militants along their porous border.

His remarks came weeks after US President Donald Trump criticised Pakistan for providing safe havens to militants.

Mr Abbasi said that Pakistan was committed to peaceful resolution of the Afghan issue. “We are open for joint patrolling (along the border with Afghanistan),” Mr Abbasi said. He also referred to fencing of the 2,600-km-long border with Afghanistan, which has already started.

“We will put up a fence there (on our side of border). The Afghans are welcome to put up another fence on their side,” he said. He said that Pakistan was open to bilateral verifications and joint patrols to screen the visitors who cross the border every day.

Pakistan has suffered massively due to instability in Afghanistan and believes that the solution to the Afghan conflict should be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, he said. He rejected the allegations about terrorists’ sanctuaries inside Pakistan and said Islamabad was fighting to eliminate militancy. He claimed the militants were actually based in Afghanistan and carry out cross border attacks in Pakistan.

Abbasi said that Pakistan was ready to work with the US in the fight against terrorism and the two sides should address any concern on the subject through dialogue.