ISLAMABAD: At the invitation of interim Afghan Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM)/ Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, will embark on an important visit of Afghanistan today (Saturday) to normalise contentious issues with a special emphasis on terrorism from across the border, US leftover weapons and on boosting bilateral trade ties, announced the Foreign Office on Friday.
FO spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali said that DPM will lead a high-level delegation to Kabul on April 19. During the day-long visit, he will call on the Afghan Acting Prime Minister, Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund; meet Afghan Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar; and hold delegation-level talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Discussions will be held in an open, frank, and respectful environment, with both sides expected to engage constructively.
Meanwhile, Dar chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting ahead of his forthcoming visit to Afghanistan. Special Representative on Afghanistan, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq Khan, SAPM Tariq Bajwa, federal secretaries of Commerce, Railways, and Interior, and senior FBR and MoFA officials attended the meeting.
All aspects of the visit were reviewed in detail, with a focus on advancing bilateral cooperation and promoting regional connectivity.
During a weekly media briefing, the FO spokesperson said the talks will cover entire gamut of Pak-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties.
The DPM’s visit is a reflection of Pakistan’s commitment to enhance sustained engagement with the brotherly country of Afghanistan, he added.
To a query regarding DPM/FM visit to Dhaka, the spokesperson said Ishaq Dar will soon pay official visit to Bangladesh and dates of the visit will be shared with the media when finalised.
Spokesperson said Dar’s upcoming visit to Dhaka is part of Pakistan’s broader diplomatic outreach aimed at fostering positive and constructive relations with regional partners. “The visit reflects our commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Bangladesh, based on mutual respect, shared interests, and historical commonalities”.
Unfortunately, Ambassador Shafqat said some inimical forces are actively disseminating misleading and hostile narratives to undermine Pakistan-Bangladesh rapprochement. He pointed out that these unfounded and baseless reports are part of a malicious campaign to sabotage regional harmony. “Such disinformation must not be allowed to distort the evolving positive trajectory of our bilateral relations”.
“We have taken note of the recent statement by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in which, he levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan. This pattern reflects Delhi’s continued obsession with Pakistan and its attempt to project false victimhood of terrorism.
“Such rhetoric cannot hide India’s own track record and continued involvement in destabilising activities and terrorism across the region, particularly in Pakistan.
“The tragic incident involving the Jaafar Express is an operational matter, which is under investigation. Preliminary findings suggest that the perpetrators were in constant contact with elements based in Afghanistan. This further underscores our concerns about cross-border terrorism and the urgent need for concrete action to dismantle such networks.”
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will undertake an official visit to Pakistan from 20-21 April 2025.
The high-level visit reflects the deep-rooted, fraternal relations between Pakistan and the UAE.
Pakistan urges the international community to take decisive action to hold Israel accountable and protect Palestinian civilians from further violence.
“We wish to set the record straight regarding remarks made by the Spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs regarding Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding rather than making baseless claims, India should vacate the large territories of Jammu and Kashmir under its forcible occupation for the last 77 years.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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