Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday that a peaceful Afghanistan would benefit Pakistan and Islamabad supports the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
"I reaffirm Pakistan's full support from Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process," Sharif told a joint press conference with President Ashraf Ghani in Arg or Presidential Palace here.
Attaching great importance to peace and stability in Afghanistan, the visiting Pakistani prime minister said that "Pakistan has the highest stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan", Xinhua news agency reported.
Afghans often accuse Pakistan of supporting Taliban militants fighting in Afghanistan, a claim denied by Islamabad as baseless.
Allaying Afghanistan's concern over alleged backing of militants, Nawaz Sharif said, "I assure you Mr. President that the enemies of Afghanistan cannot be friends of Pakistan."
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The visit of the Pakistani delegation to Afghanistan took place after the holding of the first-ever face-to-face meeting of Taliban and a delegation of Afghan government-backed peace body, the High Peace Council, in Qatar recently.
On his part, President Ghani said that both Afghanistan and Pakistan have hugely suffered at the hands of terrorists and said, "There is no bad or good terrorism, terrorism is terrorism.
"Pakistan and Afghanistan, as two friends, have to contribute in ensuring stability in the region and declare that the enemies of Pakistan are the enemies of Afghanistan and vice-versa," the president said at the press conference.
Prime Minister Sharif's delegation includes Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, among others.
