Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, arrived in Kabul this morning (Saturday, April 19) at the head of a high-level Pakistani delegation and met with senior Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides emphasized strengthening cooperation in the areas of security, trade, transit, and people-to-people relations during the talks.
The statement added that both parties agreed to continue high-level meetings to consolidate bilateral ties.
During his meetings with Taliban officials, Mr. Dar described border management and addressing security concerns as a “vital priority” and stressed the need to resolve mutual challenges through dialogue.
Meanwhile, the Taliban Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement, said that during the meeting, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund described Pakistan’s treatment of Afghan refugees as improper and unacceptable.
According to the statement, he stressed that Pakistan should facilitate the return of refugees in accordance with Islamic and international principles.
The Taliban Prime Minister also deemed resolving disputes through dialogue as essential and called for practical steps in this regard.
The statement added that the issue of the presence of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members in Afghanistan was discussed, and Mullah Hassan Akhund, while emphasizing that Afghan soil should not be used against any other country, denied the group’s presence in Afghanistan.
Additionally, the Taliban Prime Minister said that the closure of the Torkham crossing by Pakistan has harmed economic relations and called for preventing such actions in the future.
This visit comes as Pakistan has intensified its mass deportation of Afghan refugees, a move some Taliban officials have described as “un-Islamic and inhumane.”
On the other hand, Pakistan accuses the Taliban of providing safe haven to members of the (TTP), an accusation the Taliban has repeatedly denied, labeling it as Pakistan’s “security mismanagement.”
Moreover, the border forces of both sides have frequently clashed over what they have described as border violations by each other.
