President Pervez Musharraf and his visiting Afghani counterpart Hamid Karzai Tuesday in an exclusive meeting resolved to boost bilateral ties and step up coordination in the fight against terror.

Musharraf and Karzai told the media after formal talks that the two nations remained firmly committed to rooting out terrorism for sustainable development, peace and stability in the region, the local news paper Dawn reported.

"We are resolved to combat terrorism until it is completely removed. We will fight terrorism together in a coordinated manner," emphasized President Musharraf.

He declared that Pakistan had been successful in its fight against terrorism, having destroyed the sanctuaries and communication links of terrorists who had taken refuge in the country's tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

"This force (terrorists) stands defeated, although they are still there in small pockets, we have broken the communication linkages; now what we need is to destroy their penny pockets." said Musharraf.

Karzai said he fully backed President Musharraf's call for fight against extremism in its long-term perspective.

He said, "Afghanistan has wholehearted support for President Musharraf's emphasis and we have been conveying to the world community to commit itself to addressing the problem through a process of socio-economic uplift of the Muslim countries."

President Karzai's visit coincides with the 65th anniversary of Pakistan Resolution and he was the guest of honor at the Pakistan Day Parade on Wednesday.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2005)