Afghan President, visiting Pakistani PM agree to boost joint peace efforts with Taliban

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani agreed on Saturday to boost joint peace efforts with Taliban fighters.

Gilani flew to Afghanistan on an official visit and held talks with Karzai on issues including terrorism and peace talks with Taliban fighters before the pair held a joint press conference.

Gilani said he and former Afghan President and Peace Council chief Burhanuddin Rabbani would lead talks involving the military and intelligence chiefs from both sides of the border for the first time. "Today's visit, I believe has been one of the most historical and unprecedented meetings, because all the stakeholders were with us," Gilani said, at a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

"The joint peace commission which used to be at the level of foreign ministers has been upgraded by Pakistan to the highest governmental level," Karzai said. Pakistan's premier, chief of army staff and intelligence agency chief would now represent the country on the peace commission, charged with finding a way of reaching a peace deal with the Taliban, Karzai said.

Karzai indicated that Afghanistan would carry out a similar upgrade to Pakistan, and said he and Gilani also discussed other means of speeding up the peace process in both countries.

Karzai also noted that both countries wanted the help of other "friend and brother" Muslim countries including Turkey and Saudi Arabia in peace talks.

Asked whether the United States was part of the talks, Gilani said the US was "on board".

"That’s our core group and whatever will be decided, will be among Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States," he added.