Pak deputy PM visits Kabul as crackdown on Afghan refugees intensifies

Dar, who is also the foreign minister, would hold delegation-level talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday called on Acting Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund at Kabul and discussed key issues of mutual interest as the two neighbours reset the frayed ties.

Dar's day-long visit comes amid an intensified drive against illegal Afghan refugees, with Pakistan making it clear that the only way for Afghans to stay in the country was to have entered legally with a visa.

Both sides exchanged views on key issues of mutual interest, including security, trade and transit cooperation, and explored ways to enhance people-to-people contacts, Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release.

Reaffirming the commitment to continued engagement, both sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges to further strengthen the relations between the two brotherly countries, the state-run news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), said.

Dar's trip, in planning for several months, had been delayed repeatedly due to growing tensions rooted in Pakistan's security concerns. The relationship between Islamabad and Kabul has steadily deteriorated since August 2021.

Dar also held delegation-level talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi after he was invited by his counterpart for the visit and engaged in extensive discussions with him.

The discussions encompassed a comprehensive range of topics pertaining to bilateral relations, underscoring the need to devise strategies for enhancing cooperation across diverse areas of mutual interest, including security, trade, transit, connectivity, and people to people contacts.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised the paramount importance of addressing all pertinent issues, particularly those related to security and border management, in order to fully realise the potential for regional trade and connectivity, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to fostering mutually beneficial relations and agreed on the importance of maintaining high-level engagement, it added.

According to the Foreign Office, Dar would also meet Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.