KABUL:  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has stressed that Pakistan should take action against the terrorist groups that declare war against the people of Afghanistan and by doing that show their cooperation and sincerity in fighting terrorism and ensuring lasting peace in Afghanistan.

A statement issued by the Presidential Palace here today, Ashraf Ghani said this during meeting with Deng Xijun, the special representative of China for Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday. Ghani also said that dignified and lasting peace is the basic need of Afghanistan. He added that peace in Afghanistan has two dimensions, first peace with Pakistan and second peace with the Taliban. He called terrorism a shared threat for Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region and urged joint and sincere commitment to fight this ominous phenomenon in order to eliminate it. In the meeting that was held in Arg [Presidential Palace], Mr. Deng Xijun said that “Afghanistan is an important partner of China and to that end we work jointly with Afghanistan to eliminate terrorism in the region and ensure lasting peace and economic development in the country," the statement reads.

At the meeting, Xijun underscored the importance of Afghanistan's role in improving security in the region. "President Ghani thanked the People's Republic of China for its assistance to Afghanistan in different areas and commended the efforts of China towards development and progress of Afghanistan and ensuring security in the country and region," according to the statement.