Prime Minister Imran Khan meets President Ashraf Ghani

Prime Minister Imran Khan has arrived in Kabul, at the invitation of President Ashraf Ghani, for his maiden visit to Afghanistan, with issues pertaining to regional security and economic cooperation on the agenda.

The PM was received by Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and Afghan President's Special Representative for Pakistan Mohammad Umer Daudzai. Later, he was received by the Afghan president at ARG Presidential Palace in Kabul.

The two leaders will hold a discussion on further deepening the fraternal bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Afghan peace process, and regional economic development and connectivity. The PM's visit will help foster a stronger and multi-faceted relationship between the two brotherly countries, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The premier's visit comes at a time when ongoing peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban have hit a stalemate and violence is on the rise.

Meanwhile, the prime minister’s adviser on commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood, is already in Kabul for discussions on bilateral trade relations and the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA). The APTTA allows Kabul to use Pakistan’s land to transport goods to India.

Both countries have held a fractious relationship in the past, and with the United States slated to withdraw a significant proportion of troops from the country by January 2021, this visit comes at an opportune moment for both countries to enhance their bilateral cooperation and ensure that peace and stability come to a region that has been devoid of it for decades.