Kabul, Afghanistan — Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, met with the Taliban’s acting chief minister, Mohammad Hassan Akhund, on Saturday in Kabul, as he makes his first official trip to Afghanistan.
According to a statement posted by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, the two sides exchanged views on key issues of mutual interest, including security, trade, transit cooperation and ways to enhance people-to-people contacts.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued engagement and agreed to maintain high-level exchanges aimed at further strengthening what the Pakistani Foreign Ministry described as “relations between the two brotherly countries.”
The meeting was part of a visit by a high-level Pakistani delegation, led by Dar, which also included senior officials from Pakistan’s ministries of commerce, railways and interior.
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the discussions in Kabul focused broadly on bilateral relations and regional cooperation, including efforts to promote regional connectivity and manage growing border security concerns.
The visit comes at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly over Pakistan’s expulsion of thousands of Afghan migrants and repeated accusations that militant groups are using Afghan soil to launch attacks. Taliban officials have denied the allegations.
No immediate details were released about any specific agreements reached during the talks.
