ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in trade, transit, and regional connectivity.
Afghanistan’s Acting Minister for Commerce and Industries Haji Nooruddin Azizi on Thursday called on Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, Foreign Office said in a press release.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation in trade, transit, and regional connectivity.
“They also underlined the importance of maintaining high-level political engagement between the two neighbouring countries,” the Foreign Office said.
It is pertinent to mention that amid escalating tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the ongoing repatriation of Afghan refugees without required legal documents, signs of a diplomatic thaw have emerged between the two neighbours.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ishaq Dar while addressing a joint press conference at the Foreign Office here on Thursday said that preparatory meetings have been ongoing.
“Hopefully, within days, I will be visiting Kabul for a day to break this logjam which has been there for the last few years,” Dar added.
Meanwhile, in a significant development, a high-level Pakistani delegation has arrived in Kabul, while a senior team from the Afghan Taliban government has simultaneously landed in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq Khan, met with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul as part of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) framework.
The meeting featured in-depth discussions on the current situation, focusing on strained bilateral ties and the issue of Afghan refugee deportations.
Analysts view this renewed dialogue as a positive step, emphasizing that continued tensions benefit neither country.
They argue that sustained cooperation and open communication are vital for promoting regional stability and tackling the shared humanitarian and economic challenges facing both nations.
