News Analysis: Pakistan, Afghanistan boost security cooperation to counter militant groups

Pakistan and Afghanistan have significantly increased bilateral collaboration as the previous traditional blame game had badly hindered their efforts to effectively deal with militant groups.

Military commanders and security officials are now regularly consulting to mutually share intelligence and coordinate security operations on their respective sides of the border.

Afghan Army Chief General Sher Muhammad Karimi, during his recent meeting with his Pakistani counterpart General Raheel Sharif in Rawalpindi, agreed that their commanders would begin meeting immediately to further coordinate cross-border security operations.

As the bilateral visits of senior military leaders and top intelligence personnel have recently increased, Pakistan's spy chief, Lt. Gen.Rizwan Akhtar, met Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in Kabul and discussed ways to boost anti-terror cooperation, the Afghan Presidential Palace said.

It was the third visit of Gen. Rizwan to Afghanistan since he assumed office in November, reflecting the fast growing cooperation in security areas. Officials said the discourse is aimed at pursuing a policy to comprehensively establish a bilateral forum for discussions, instead of accusing each other publicly.

The two countries would, in the recent past, exchange harsh allegations whenever any terror-related incidents occurred in either country, but now both have bridged the gap in trust in the wake of looming threats from the Taliban and other armed militant groups.

When a group of the Pakistani Taliban attacked the army-run school in Peshawar and killed 140 children and 10 staff members on Dec. 16, Pakistani officials reportedly traced calls from Afghanistan giving directives to the attackers.

Pakistan denied allegations in the media and the Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif flew into Kabul a day after the Peshawar attack and shared"vital intelligence with the Afghan authorities"about the attack. Afghanistan has also avoided hurling accusations against Pakistan despite a series of deadly attacks in Kabul and other regions in recent weeks.

As part of a growing military-to-military cooperation, Pakistan and Afghanistan have revived joint border control centers to coordinate operations against the militants and share intelligence on illegal cross-border movement, Pakistani and Afghan sources close to the matter told Xinhua in Islamabad. The centers will be reactivated at the two main border points of Torkham and Spin Boldak, the sources said.

Previously ISAF and the two countries managed the "Joint Border Coordination Centers" but now the facilities have been reestablished as "AfPak Border Coordination Centers." The previously uneasy neighbors had long been complaining of loose border control that encouraged the militants to cross to either side whenever one country launched an offensive on its side of the border. Both countries share a 2,500 km long border and the armed groups take advantage of the penetrable terrain.

Amid growing security cooperation, sections of the Pakistani media have reported that Afghan authorities have captured five suspects of the Peshawar school attack on a Pakistani tip off.

Pakistani and Afghan lawmakers are upbeat about the improvement of bilateral relations, as they believe the two countries are now sincerely cooperating to jointly fight militant groups. "We have seen a visible and positive change in Pakistan and the leaders are very cooperative in helping Afghan peace and stability, "Afghan Senator Baz Mohammad Zurmati told Xinhua in Islamabad recently. Zurmati was in Islamabad for a Pakistani and Afghan parliamentary members conference and also met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistani senator Afrasiab Khattak, who accompanied senior Pakistani politicians in a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul this week, said leaders of both countries are very serious in opening a new chapter of"tension-free"relationships as such cooperation will enable them to meet serious security challenges that lie ahead. Endi