Pakistan to help Afghanistan toward stability

Pakistan will extend help to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday.

Addressing a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Gilani vowed to boost bilateral trade between the two neighboring countries.

Karzai, who is on two-day visit to Pakistan, highlighted the need of joint strategy to eliminate terrorism after talks with Gilani.

He said India is a friend of Afghanistan but Pakistan is a brother country and no one can separate Afghanistan from Pakistan.

"Pakistan and Afghanistan are like twin brothers," said Karzai.

Karzai assured that Afghanistan will never allow anybody to use its soil against Pakistan or any other country.

"We do not want proxy war from our land either that is between Pakistan and India or between America and Iran," the president said.

Asked if Kabul accept Pakistan's offer to train Afghan security forces, Karzai looked reluctant to reply it clearly. "We have many offers but not finalized any one," he said.

Both countries agreed to increase bilateral trade to 5 billion U.S. dollars by 2015.

The two sides also signed Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing cooperation in various fields.

Source: Xinhua