ISLAMABAD: Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan witnessed ups and downs but now there is a significant improvement which is a good omen for peace in the region.

This was stated by Dr Gerhard Wahlers, the deputy secretary general and the head of the European and International Cooperation of Konrad Adenauer Stif tung (KAS).

He was speaking at the launching ceremony of a post-conference book, `Islamabad trilateral dialogue: ChinaAfghanistan-Pakistan` at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services here on Thursday.

Mr Wahlers said Germany would support all efforts to bring the peopleof Pakistan and Afghanistan closure.

`China is a big country and should also use its influence in this regard,` he said.

Chairman Senate Defence Committee Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who also heads the Pakistan-China Institute, added: `A peaceful and stable Afghanistan means a peaceful, stable, secure and prosperous region.

He said China had both economic as well as security stakes in Afghanistan.

Mohammad Sadiq, former ambassador to Afghanistan and the secretary National Security Division, said the emerging Pak-Afghan relations, in the context of Nato withdrawal from Afghanistan, provided significant opportunities to the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation.He said both Islamabad and Kabul had many things common.

`Every day around 56,000 people cross the Afghanistan-Pakistan border while every morning around 1,200 Afghan students cross the Torkham border to get education in Pakistani schools.

This is something very interesting.

He said both the countries had to break the cycle of blame game.

`Pakistan has to break the cycle first to give an opportunity to Afghanistan to also break it.

Senior journalist Ahmed Rashid said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was facing a strong opposition in his country for having a soft corner for Pakistan. `We have to act. We have to initiate a dialogue process,` he added.