Pakistan and Afghanistan have established a hotline between their respective military commanders and made first contact yesterday, the Pakistani military said.
Pakistan army spokesman Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa said on Twitter that the direct line between the military commanders of the two countries was agreed during a visit to Kabul Sunday by the country’s powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif.  
“Hotline established between DGMOs (Director Generals of military operations) of both countries. First contact/call just made,” Bajwa tweeted.
The Pakistan army chief’s visit to Kabul follows talks between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over recent weeks that sought to pave the way for a Islamabad-brokered peace process between Taliban and Afghan government.  
Afghanistan sees Pakistan’s support as vital to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
Pakistan hosted a milestone first round of talks in July but the negotiations stalled when the Taliban belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.
Ghani has recently pushed to strengthen ties with Pakistan in a desperate bid to restart the talks as the insurgency expands.
Afghan forces are currently battling to push out Taliban insurgents who seized large swathes of the key opium-rich district of Sangin in southern Helmand province.
Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in a bid to wrangle greater concessions during talks.
An official at the Afghan president’s office said on Tuesday that Kabul will host a meeting with officials from Pakistan, the United States and China next week to prepare the way for possible peace talks with the Taliban.
 “We expect that every country will play its part in ensuring the peace process in Afghanistan moves ahead,” the official said.
The United States and China, which is planning to invest billions in Pakistan, have both pushed strongly for peace talks involving Pakistan.
The Taliban, which has grown in strength this year following the withdrawal of most foreign troops, has so far ruled out taking part in any talks as long as foreign troops remain in Afghanistan.
But the movement has splintered into rival factions since the death of Mullah Omar was announced, with many rejecting the authority of the new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
Following Sharif’s visit to Kabul, Afghanistan and Pakistan said they were aiming to continue the peace process with groups of the Taliban that were ready for negotiation and reconciliation.