Washington- Secretary of State John Kerry has praised the efforts of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, in improving ties with war-torn Afghanistan.

"In the transition taking place in Afghanistan, we are witnessing an unprecedented level of effort to try to produce cooperation. And thus far, there are some signs of real results with respect to that," Kerry said in a joint press conference with visiting Pakistan Interior Minister Nishar Ali Khan on Thursday.

"We are grateful for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s commitment to this, for General Raheel’s efforts. They’ve been real. The two Pakistani leaders are committed to going after terrorists, all forms of extremism in Pakistan," he said.

He said both are committed to the evolution of their own democracy, to the strengthening of it, and to trying to be a partner in the region for peace and stability of the region.

"So we have a lot of challenges. A lot has happened in the last year that has emboldened some of the extremists. It’s something that Pakistan is deeply concerned about. We’ve had long conversations about it. I look forward to continuing the cooperative effort on the economy as well as the cooperative effort in counter-terrorism and democracy building," he added.

In his remarks, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said there have been ups and downs in Pakistan-US relations, but over the last few months, there has been a huge quantum leap in the level of confidence and trust.

"I think what happened a year, or a year and a half ago after the Salala incident, and then subsequently the reaction which led to blockade of the Afghan transit supply routes,  I think that’s a far cry now, and both the US and Pakistan are working very, very closely," Chaudhry Nisar said.

He said Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan have improved significantly and both the countries are closely cooperating in the war on terrorism.

"Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have never been better, and that is a very, very positive development. I think Afghanistan and Pakistan are working in close hands and in close cooperation, it will do wonders for the cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism," the Interior Minister said.

Earlier, during their meeting Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Secretary of State, John Kerry discussed matters relating to bilateral relations, with particular focus on the peace and security situation in the region.