Islamabad: Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to launch a joint operation against the Taliban in the near future, Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Dr Omar Zakhilwal said.
The envoy said that a joint operation against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah and his group could be possible in near future, as he expressed hope for improvement in Pak-Afghan relations this year.
The ambassador said Afghanistan could never allow India to use its soil against Pakistan, terming such an impression to be an insult to the whole Afghan nation.
In an interview with a Pakistani television channel, he expressed the hope that bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul would improve despite the current chill.
Hinting at back-channel efforts for normalisation of relations between the two neighbours, Dr Omar Zakhilwal said, “The year 2017 will see the relations between the two countries turning warm from cold.”
He dispelled the impression of framing anti-Pakistan policies. He said his country was a sovereign state and it charted its policies on foreign affairs, national security and economy purely in line with the national interest.
