Sir: It is a matter of great satisfaction that the Iranian government is taking a keen interest in joining hands with Pakistan in resolving the Afghan imbroglio as the emerging situation, after the Kunduz debacle, has sent warning shots to both the countries. Keeping in view the IS presence, Pakistan has welcomed Iran’s offer of playing a role in the Afghan talks. Both the countries have realised that the complex Afghan issue cannot be resolved alone without involving neighbouring countries, especially Iran. This positive shift in Pakistan-Iran relations and continuous strengthening of ties holds the key to regional peace. The talks were held with Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), who arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit for talks on security cooperation and border issues. Mr Shamkhani holds a very important position in Tehran; he is close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. He has a long career of serving the Iranian Navy from where he retired as a Rear Admiral. Lately, he served as the Defence Minister of Iran, and was made Secretary of the SNSC that looks after the defence and security policies, especially of the Gulf countries. There was a long pause in such talks, probably because of Iran’s mistrust of Pakistan, but thanks to the successful Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Islamabad’s facilitation in holding talks with the Taliban, this has changed the entire perception amongst the neighbouring countries. Mr Shamkhani held talks with Sartaj Aziz, Adviser on Foreign Affairs, and Nasser Janjua, the new National Security Adviser, reportedly on Afghanistan, border security, intelligence-sharing, presence of IS in the region, security cooperation and exploring the prospects of bilateral cooperation. Border security between Pakistan and Iran remains a sensitive issue. Iran had earlier this year also offered cooperation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries for countering terrorism. F Z KHAN Rawalpindi