'Terrorists are common enemies of Pakistan, Afghanistan'

 Islamabad, April 18: Visiting Afghanistan army chief General Sher Muhammad Karimi on Saturday praised the Pakistan Army by labelling it as one of the “world’s best armies”.

General Karimi was the chief guest of 132nd passing out parade of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Pakistan Army is ranked amongst the world’s best armies and I feel proud to attend the passing-out ceremony of Pakistan Army cadets,” he said.

This is the first time in the history of the Pakistan Military Academy that any foreign military chief has attended its passing out parade as the chief guest. During his address, Gen. Karimi emphasised the need for close cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan to combat terrorism in the region. “Terrorists are the common enemies of Pakistan and Afghanistan and we must ensure backing and support of our peoples in order to win the war against these non-state actors,” he said.

Karimi said the region faces the greatest threat from terrorists and militants, “who do not recognise any boundaries and have no religious or moral values”. “Our region has suffered from war of four decades but the objective of peace is very much attaible,” he added. The Afghan army chief arrived in Pakistan on Friday on a two-day official visit for talks on bilateral security issues. It is his second visit to Pakistan in nearly four months. He last visited Pakistan in December just days after the Taliban attacked an army-run school in Peshawar and killed over 140 students and staff.

Gen. Karimi met his Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif on Friday and discussed border magement and defence cooperation amid growing military-to-military contacts, the military said. (IANS)