KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said Pakistan should understand the situation in Afghanistan and consider the same definition for terrorism in Afghanistan it defined for itself.

In a farewell meeting with Peter Semneby, the outgoing Swedish Ambassador to Kabul, Ghani said the world and the region was in agreement with Afghanistan on fighting terrorism and especially the links between criminal economy and terrorism.

Ghani insisted that peace talks with the Taliban would be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, a statement from the Presidential Palace said.

It quoted Ghani as saying the Afghan government had been trying to improve relations with Pakistan during the last decade. He urged Islamabad to sincerely help Afghanistan advance its peace process.

Ghani said his concentration had been more on security situation in the country in over the past few months, during which Afghan security forces had thwarted enemy’s plans to capture more territory.

“The enemy has faced defeat on the frontline and in order to conceal their failure, they carry out suicide attacks in cities among civilians,” he added. “We are currently in a critical condition, but on the right track and (we) have the backing of the Afghan people.”

President Ghani also expressed optimism that major economic projects like Salma Dam in Herat province would be activated in the next six months.

He also expressed gratitude to the people and government of Sweden for their commitments and assistance to the Afghan people in different sectors.

The outgoing Swedish ambassador expressed satisfaction with his duty in Kabul and hoped to utilise his experience for Afghanistan’s future as well. (Pajhwok)