The Pakistan Army leadership has expressed hope that Afghanistan soil will not be used against Pakistan as the top brass noted the increase in cross-border attacks and the regrouping of terrorist outfits across the Pak-Afghan border, Tribune reported.

Reaffirming Pakistan's support for regional peace and stability, the 241st Corps Commanders Conference reiterated that the country has taken effective border control and management measures and the same is expected from Afghanistan to "deny any space to spoilers of peace".

During his May 11 visit to Kabul, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa had assured the Afghan leadership of Pakistan’s support for “inclusive power-sharing arrangement” and “elections as a right of Afghans to self-determination”.

The visit came just days after the US and other international forces started withdrawing from Afghanistan.

Since the beginning of the drawdown, which is set to complete by September 11, there has been a sudden spike in violence in Afghanistan and an increase in cross-border attacks on Pakistani forces.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also stated that the forum took a comprehensive review of global, regional and domestic security environment, with the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with India and the working boundary also coming under discussion.

Anti-Pakistan elements continue to use the Afghan soil for carrying out terrorist activities inside Pakistan. Islamabad is building the fence along its 2,640km long border with Afghanistan to check the smuggling of goods and weapons and deny the cross-border movement of terrorists and other criminals, ISPR said in a release.

(SAM)