Afghan acting FM to visit Pakistan for high-level talks next month

ISLAMABAD: The Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, is expected to visit Pakistan early next month along with a delegation for high-level talks for expansion of bilateral economic, trade and political cooperation and reduction of bilateral tension, reliable sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) revealed on Monday.

This would be Muttaqi’s first visit to Pakistan in two years, highlighting the uptick in high-level exchanges between the two neighbouring countries during recent months.

Sources said that the final dates for the visit are currently being worked out by Islamabad and Kabul. The visit follows an invitation extended by Deputy Foreign Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, during his visit to Afghanistan on April 19.

Muttaqi’s visit will help further promote and strengthen bilateral relations. The ties between Islamabad and Kabul remain tense due to surge in terrorism from across the border. Pakistan had repeatedly urged Afghanistan to stop use of its soil against Pakistan and dismantle Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts.

It is worth mentioning here that the two leaders have met several times during last couple of months, including in Beijing, where China hosted an informal trilateral meeting aimed at strengthening Pakistan-Afghanistan ties and promoting regional connectivity. They also held discussions in Istanbul on the sidelines of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting late last month.

In a substantial diplomatic development, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to elevate their Charge d’affaires to the level of ambassadors. Pakistan has upgraded Ubaidullah Nizamani to the rank of full Ambassador, while Sardar Shakeeb has been elevated to Ambassador in Islamabad in a tit-for-tat move.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar also paid an important one-day visit to Kabul last week, accompanied by a high-level Pakistani delegation.

During the visit, he held extensive talks with top Afghan leadership on the sidelines of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Framework Agreement discussions.

Leadership of Pakistan and Afghanistan has agreed to elevate the relationships to new heights.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025