WTOP News/ARANEWS and BOL News both publish articles detailing Dar’s visit.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is making an important one-day visit to Kabul today with the goal of reinvigorating bilateral relations amidst growing tensions over repatriating Afghan nationals from Pakistan. Hear more from AP News (plus TOLOnews), Pakistan Today, TOLOnews or TOLOnews here.
Dar’s visit, his inaugural since taking up dual roles, comes at the invitation of Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and will include meeting key Afghan leaders such as Acting Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund and Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, among others. Agenda items to be covered during meetings include security, trade, regional connectivity and people-to-people exchanges – and TOLOnews will cover this event live as it happens live from Pakistan TOLOnews +7
Pakistan’s intensified campaign to repatriate undocumented Afghans has provided the backdrop of this diplomatic engagement, with over 80,000 returning home since April 1 following a voluntary return deadline that passed without individual extensions being given by its government. Arab News +4
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Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan stated that Dar’s visit demonstrates Pakistan’s continued engagement with Afghanistan and will focus on ways and means of deepening cooperation across multiple areas of mutual interest, according to Arab News, The News International, Pakistan Today, Geo TV News and BOL News.
An Afghan delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Nooruddin Azizi held meetings with Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry prior to Dar’s arrival. These talks focused on key issues like transit trade and repatriation of Afghan nationals; Chaudhry reiterated Pakistan’s stance that deportation timeline extensions are unlikely; however, concessions may be considered on an individual basis. Arab News
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Analysts see Dar’s visit as an attempt to break through a protracted impasse between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Hearsay suggests the outcomes of these high-level talks could radically transform Pakistan-Afghanistan ties, particularly regarding security cooperation and treatment of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan.
Attracting attention in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, Dar’s diplomatic mission exemplifies the difficulty of reconciling national security interests with humanitarian considerations in bilateral ties between these countries.