Pakistan on Thursday allayed Afghan government concerns over the alleged backing of militants by reassuring support to the post-Taliban nation.

"Pakistan believes in the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan. It serves Pakistan to see a strong and stable environment in Afghanistan," Pakistan's prime minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters at a joint press conference with President Hamid Karzai after their meeting which lasted for two hours.

Relations between the two countries have been soured as Kabul accuses Pakistan of supporting Taliban militants while Islamabad terms the claims as baseless and rejects it.

Pakistan announced recently to fence and mines its border with Afghanistan but Afghan President described the plan as an attempt to divide the inhabitants of the either sides of the controversial Durand Line which divides the two neighbors.

Afghanistan's successive governments have not recognized the Durand Line as international border with Pakistan.

The objective of the plan, Pakistan says, is to check militants' infiltration while President Karzai stressed for destroying terrorists' training centers and chocking their financial resources outside his country.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz repeated his government's stance that Islamabad would continue to fight against extremism and militancy alongside Afghanistan.

"We need to work together to ensure that collectively we pursue those policies and objectives which create peace, progress and prosperity in our region. Let me say that Pakistan is totally committed to fighting terrorism and extremism," Prime Minister Aziz said.

"It is in our respective national interests of both countries to oppose these forces. Afghanistan and Pakistan can work closely together to achieve these objectives," the Pakistani prime minister stressed.

He also said that Pakistan has so far contributed US$300 million in the reconstruction process of the war-ravaged Afghanistan.

However, Prime Minster Aziz confirmed that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are facing challenges and the two countries, he said, had to work together to face these challenges and remove misunderstanding.

President Karzai thanked Pakistan for its support during Afghan war against former Soviet Union and hosting millions of Afghan refugees, but also expressed his regret over the strained relations between the two neighbors.

"It is a matter of regret that the environment of distrust has been created in relations of the two neighbors, "Karzai said

The reason behind this distrust, Karzai added, was terrorist activities and terrorists' attacks on schools and spoiling stability in Afghanistan.

More than 4,000 people had been killed in Taliban-linked insurgency in 2006 and militants, according to their commanders, would further intensify their attacks in 2007.
 
"I hope that our discussions lead to viable stability in Afghanistan and our relations get closer as the Prime Minster assured us," the Afghan President emphasized.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2007)