By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to Kabul on Saturday for talks dominated by security concerns and efforts to reset relations after months of strain, officials said, as Islamabad presses Afghanistan’s Taliban administration to curb cross-border militant attacks it blames for surging violence.
The one-day trip, confirmed by Pakistan’s foreign office on Friday, follows Islamabad’s repeated accusations that armed groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operate from Afghan soil to launch strikes inside Pakistan — allegations Kabul denies. The visit also comes amid friction over Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan nationals, which Kabul calls “inhumane”.
Dar will meet Afghan Acting Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund, Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and hold talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Pakistan’s foreign office said.
“The talks will cover the entire gamut of Pak-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity and people-to-people ties,” the office said in a statement.
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with officials linking the violence to groups they say enjoy safe havens under Taliban rule. Kabul insists it does not allow its territory to be used against other nations.
“Our concerns on security threats emanating from Afghanistan have been clearly conveyed,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters in his weekly briefing. Though he did not disclose the delegation’s composition, security sources said senior military and intelligence officials would join Dar.
The spokesperson said Dar’s visit will be “a reflection of Pakistan’s commitment to enhance sustained engagement with the brotherly country of Afghanistan,” and said Islamabad aims to build “good, friendly, neighborly relations”.
The visit follows a meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) in Kabul this week, where discussions included border management and counter-terrorism. Pakistan’s delegation was led by Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Sadiq Khan and included Director General Military Operations Maj Gen Kashif Abdullah.
Relations further soured in late 2023 when Pakistan began expelling over 500,000 undocumented Afghans, citing security risks. Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said Muttaqi raised “profound concern” over the policy during this week’s JCC talks, urging Islamabad to resolve disputes through “mutually respectful dialogue”.
Despite tensions, both sides have recently revived diplomatic engagement, including visits by trade and connectivity delegations.
“This visit reflects Pakistan’s commitment to pragmatic, sustained engagement with Afghanistan,” spokesperson Khan said, though he noted no formal agreements were expected.
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