By Special Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday said that a Pakistani delegation being led by the Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif has reached Kabul for talks with officials of the interim Afghan government on security-related issues.
In photos released by the Afghanistan PM’s office, the Pakistani delegation — comprising Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Lt. Gen Nadeem Anjum; Chargé d’Affaires to Afghanistan, Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan; and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq — can be seen meeting Afghanistan’s acting deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar alongside Khawaja Asif.
Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, Director General Inter Services Intelligence (DG ISI), was part of a Pakistani delegation led by Minister of Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif to Kabul, #Afghanistan to meet Taliban leadership@OfficialDGISPR #PakistanArmy #Pakistan #ISI #ISPR pic.twitter.com/Eb8uwv0o0H
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) February 22, 2023
FO tweet
“A high-ranking delegation led by the Minister for Defence is in Kabul today to meet with officials of the Afghan interim government to discuss security-related matters including counter-terrorism measures,” said the foreign office in a tweet.
Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, Director General Inter Services Intelligence (DG ISI), is part of a Pakistani delegation led by Minister of Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif in #Kabul, #Afghanistan met #Taliban leadership@OfficialDGISPR #PakistanArmy #Pakistan #ISI #ISPR pic.twitter.com/AIj46kKO4K
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) February 22, 2023
The meeting comes as the Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border which is the main border crossing and trading point between Pakistan and Afghanistan — remained closed for the third straight day on Tuesday after a deadlock over starting a dialogue between border officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan prevailed. Earlier this week, the Afghan Taliban had shut the border crossing, accusing Pakistan of defaulting on its commitments. On February 21, an exchange of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan troops was also reported at the Torkham border in which a security guard was injured.
