Updated

Afghanistan's new president, Ashraf Ghani, has arrived in Pakistan for a two-day visit aimed at improving ties between the two neighbors often encumbered by mutual suspicion and accusations.

Pakistani state-run television says national security adviser Sartaj Aziz received Ghani at the Islamabad airport on Friday.

Ghani is expected to meet his Pakistani counterpart, Mamnoon Hussain, as well as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are key allies of Washington in the war on terror but their relations have witnessed ups and downs in recent years.

Ghani's predecessor, Hamid Karzai, often blamed Pakistan for harboring the Afghan Taliban and other militants accused of attacking NATO forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan has always denied the charge, saying Kabul needed to take more steps to control cross-border attacks.