ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Afghanistan stepped up their contacts as a new push to reset their long troubled ties is making significant strides, officials said here as the foreign ministers from the two countries spoke on Sunday by phone.
The latest telephonic conversation between Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghan Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi came days after Pakistan agreed to upgrade diplomatic ties with Kabul.
The Interim Afghan government welcomed Pakistan’s move to appoint a full time Ambassador in Kabul, becoming the fourth country to do so.
China took the lead last year when it sent a full time ambassador to Kabul and accepted a Taliban Envoy in Beijing.
China has been instrumental in persuading Pakistan and Afghanistan to exchange ambassadors. The breakthrough came after the interim Taliban government took a series of steps to address Pakistan’s concerns over the cross border terrorist attacks.
Pakistani officials confirmed to The Express Tribune that Kabul for the first time moved against elements particularly the Afghan nationals who either joined the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or were thinking to be part of the group. Scores of such Afghans were arrested as well as those who were facilitating young people to join the ranks of TTP.
Those steps encouraged Pakistan to increase interaction with the Afghan Taliban government. The decision was also significant since India was trying to exploit the strained relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan to its advantage.
A statement issued here by the Foreign Office said Foreign Minister Muttaqi welcomed the decision of Pakistan to up-grade its diplomatic relations to the ambassador level and informed that Afghanistan decided to reciprocate the same.
He termed it a very positive development in bilateral relations.
Both leaders also reviewed implementation of decisions taken during DPM/FM’s visit to Kabul on 19 April 2025 and vowed to continue working together to establish mutual trust between the two brotherly nations.
Emphasizing the importance of Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project for regional connectivity, both leaders agreed to work closely for an early finalisation of the framework agreement, according to the statement.
The Afghan foreign minister is expected to visit Islamabad soon. This will be Muttaqi’s first visit to Pakistan in two years.
Pakistan and Afghanistan ties have remained strained since Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
