[caption id="attachment_98234" align="alignright" width="229"] Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi[/caption]
A senior Pakistani official says Islamabad will continue consultations with neighboring countries, including Iran, in a bid to help boost security and stability in Afghanistan.
Islamabads engagement with Tehran on developments in Afghanistan remains vital for promoting shared objectives of peace and stability, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi said on Thursday.
Stating that Afghanistans security is of crucial importance to Pakistan, he listed China, Russia, the European Union and the United States as other countries with which Pakistan is holding talks on the issue.
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washingtons so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but the country is still grappling with mounting insecurity.
In a meeting with Sharif in Tehran on May 11, Chairman of Irans Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called for Tehran and Islamabad to work together to save the Afghan people from civil war.
Earlier in September 2013, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic Republic would spare no effort to help establish peace and security in neighboring Afghanistan.
Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.
Rouhani also said the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan and other countries sets the stage for extremism in the region.