Abbasi met Ghani amid air strike allegations

Kabul [Afghanistan], April 7 (ANI): As ironical as it gets, Afghanistan had accused Pakistan of launching air strikes a day before Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's day-long visit was scheduled to Kabul on Friday, aimed at easing tensions between the two countries.

The air strikes reportedly caused "huge financial damages" in Afghanistan's Kunar border province.

Afghanistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry said, "Afghanistan warns that continuing violations of international norms ... will have further consequences on the relations between the two countries," reported RadioFreeEurope Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

On Friday, Pakistan dubbed the allegation as "baseless" that it violated Afghan airspace, however.

Later on that day, Abbasi arrived in Kabul.

The delegation held talks with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other senior officials in Kabul.

The talks will focus on consolidating bilateral political, economic, security and counter-terrorism cooperation, return of Afghan refugees, combating drug production and narco-trade, the Afghan peace process and regional political and security situation.

According to Afghan presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi that bracing peace talks with the Taliban, the return of Afghan refugees who are now in Pakistan, and the exchange of prisoners were high on the agenda of the meeting between Ghani and Abbasi, reported (RFE/RL).

Abbasi's visit to Kabul is his first since becoming prime minister in 2017.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share strained bilateral relationship. Both Kabul and Islamabad steadily purport that the attacks in the two countries were being plotted and carried out by the safe havens located in the two countries.

Earlier this week a high-level Pakistani delegation, headed by Tehmina Janjua, has reached Afghanistan to hold talks with Afghan authorities on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS). (ANI)