KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has once again called for a joint fight by Afghanistan and Pakistan against the common enemy of terrorism and extremism, his office said on Sunday.

Karzai issued the call at a meeting with visiting Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar late on Saturday. Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal also attended the meeting.

The two sides discussed economic cooperation between the neighbors and stability in the region, a statement from the Presidential Palace said.

Karzai expressed his deep sorrows over last week’s killing of Maulvi Abul Raqib Takhari in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar.

Afghanistan wanted complete release of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and the practical launch of the peace process, the president said.

Ishaq Dar is leading a high-level delegation to a three-day session of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) with Afghanistan. He briefed the president on the agenda of the 9th JEC session.

He said Pakistan genuinely desired peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region at large. Economic activity and trade flourished only in a secure environment, he added.

The construction of a Pakistan-funded hospital had been completed in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, he said. The project will be inaugurated soon. (Pajhwok)