KABUL, Afghanistan—Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s newly appointed special envoy for Afghanistan, met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, in Kabul to discuss strengthening ties and resolving issues in the relationship between Islamabad and the Taliban-led administration, according to a statement from the Taliban-run Ministry of Interior.
The statement said that the Pakistani delegation also delivered condolences from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the death of Khalil Rhman Haqqani, Taliban’s refugees minster, expressing deep sympathy with his family and the Afghan people.
The statement added that Sadiq reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to improving ties through collaboration.
“We are dedicated to resolving challenges between Afghanistan and Pakistan through joint efforts to strengthen economic and social relations between the two countries,” Sadiq said.
Haqqani, meanwhile, emphasized the deep religious, cultural, and historical ties between the two nations, the statement said.
“The current circumstances demand that we accelerate joint efforts to address security and political challenges to protect the relationship between our two peoples and ensure regional stability and development,” Haqqani said.
Strained relations
The growing activities and attacks by the TTP in Pakistan, allegedly launched from Afghanistan’s soil, have been a major source of friction between the two governments since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.
Pakistani officials, including the country’s prime minister and defense minister, have accused the Taliban of providing safe havens for the TTP in Afghanistan and allowing the group to organize cross-border attacks into Pakistan.
The Taliban have consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that they do not support the TTP and asserting that the recent surge in violence in Pakistan is an “internal issue” for Islamabad to address.
