Islamabad, Apr 22: Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Pakistan today for talks with his counterpart Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali on his first visit here in almost a year. "The two sides will mainly discuss bilateral issues plus the regional situation, India and Pakistan relations, Iraq and Palestine," a foreign ministry official told a news agency.

Karzai's trip, delayed since March, comes amid rising tensions over security along the neighbours' ill-defined border and Kabul's slowness in releasing former Pakistani fighters languishing in Afghan jails.

Karzai was accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and interior, frontier affairs, reconstruction and commerce ministers.

He went straight into talks with Jamali after a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace, officials said. The pair will hold a joint press conference before lunching together.

General Musharraf will meet Karzai later today and host a dinner for him.

"The repatriation of Afghan refugees and the release of Pakistani prisoners will also come up," the official said.

Border issues are expected to be high on the agenda, following a clash between Afghan and Pakistani security forces on April 17 over alleged incursions across the poorly-marked 2,450 km Durand Line separating the countries.

Both sides accused the other of intruding on their territory and exchanged warning shots.

The porous border is also at the centre of tensions over extremists mounting repeated attacks on Afghan and US forces.

Bureau Report