WASHINGTON - In recent months there has been an unprecedented level of co-operation between Kabul and Islamabad, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said Thursday as he praised the efforts of Pak Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, and the Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif, in this regard.

“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 told reporters in a joint media appearance with the Pak Interior Minister Nishar Ali Khan.

Kerry said that the two Pakistani leaders are committed to going after terrorists, all forms of extremism in Pakistan.  “We are grateful for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s commitment to this, for General Raheel’s efforts.  They’ve been real. And they are making good on that in their initiatives in the western part of the country and elsewhere, and in their cooperation on counterterrorism. They 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,” he said.

Kerry said after the meeting that “..we have a lot of challenges. A lot has happened in the last year’s 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 counterterrorism and democracy building.”

Khan said there are a number of positive developments which have taken place over the last few weeks and over the last few months which point to a very positive outlook for US-Pakistan relationship and for their joint fight against extremism.

“Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have never been better, and that is a very, very positive development. I think Afghanistan and Pakistan working in close hands and in close cooperation, it will do wonders for the cooperation in the field of counterterrorism,” he said. (Pajhwok)