KABUL, Afghanistan — Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, has informed the Taliban’s top diplomat that Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, plans to visit Kabul in the near future, according to a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sadiq, who arrived in Kabul on Wednesday leading a high-level delegation, met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues, including cross-border tensions and the treatment of Afghan migrants.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, said in a post on X that Muttaqi expressed “regret” over Pakistan’s ongoing deportation of Afghan nationals and called for more humane treatment of migrants.
In response, Sadiq emphasized the importance of Islamabad’s relationship with the Taliban and stressed the need to address existing challenges through dialogue, according to the Taliban’s account of the meeting.
Tensions between the two sides have intensified in recent months, particularly over Pakistan’s claims that the Taliban are providing safe haven to fighters from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group responsible for numerous attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban have denied harboring the group and say they do not allow Afghan soil to be used for cross-border attacks.
Earlier this month, the chairman of Pakistan’s Senate Foreign Affairs Committee said the Taliban were beginning to align with Pakistan’s position on the TTP issue — which Islamabad views as the primary obstacle in its relations with the Taliban government.
Dar’s visit, if confirmed, would mark one of the highest-level diplomatic engagements between the two governments since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
