Islamabad, Kabul resume diplomatic talks after long hiatus

Pakistan's chargé d'affaires meets Afghan interim defence minister

ISLAMABAD:

After a long hiatus, Pakistan and Afghanistan have re-established contacts in an effort to defuse tensions in the bilateral relations hampered by the presence of terrorist sanctuaries across the border.

This week, Pakistan's chargé d'affaires to Kabul held a meeting with Afghanistan's interim defence Minister Mullah Yaqub. The meeting held on Thursday was the first known public contact between the two sides in recent months.

The development came just days after the Chinese special envoy traveled to Islamabad and Kabul in what seemed to be a renewed diplomatic effort by Beijing to ease tensions between the two countries.

At her weekly news briefing on Friday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed the meeting between Pakistan's chargé d'affaires to Afghanistan Obaidur Rehman Nizamani and Taliban defence minister Mullah Yaqub.

"It is the responsibility of our diplomats based in Afghanistan to engage with the officials and leadership of the Afghan interim government and the meeting of our head of mission in Kabul with the defence minister of Afghanistan was in this context," the spokesperson said.

"The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest. I do not believe that we should be sharing details with the media about the discussions that took place in this meeting," she added.

The Taliban's Ministry of Defence wrote in a statement that Nizamani emphasised on the expansion of joint cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations during the meeting.

Mullah Yaqoob also called the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan "stable" and said that the Taliban's administration is ready to cooperate with Islamabad in the economic field, trade sector and other fields.

To a question, the Foreign Office spokesperson rejected any plans to hold a dialogue with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

"The position of Pakistan with regards to a dialogue with the TTP is very clear and has been reiterated on several occasions. Second, Pakistan has said on a number of occasions that the proposals to initiate talks with the TTP, wherever they may come from, are an affront to the families of thousands of victims of terrorism. Thirdly, there is no such proposal on the agenda between Pakistan and China with regards to engagement with the TTP," she explained.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained stalled due to the issue of terrorist sanctuaries across the border.

Islamabad has repeatedly stated that the surge in terrorist attacks is due to the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

Kabul has denied the allegations and instead urged Pakistan to strengthen its internal security.

Commenting on the arrest of some Afghan nationals for their alleged involvement in the anti-government protests, the spokesperson said participation of foreign nationals in any political activity in Pakistan was unacceptable.

"We expect all foreigners in Pakistan to respect Pakistani laws and customs. With regards to the participation of Afghan nationals in the protest this week, the Ministry of Interior has already shared the details. Details of the policy with regards to continued stay of Afghan nationals in Islamabad will also be released by the Ministry of Interior."

Meanwhile, the spokesperson rejected any blanket ban on visas for Pakistani nationals by the UAE.

"We have said in our last two briefings, granting of visas to any individual is the sovereign right and decision of the country concerned. We do not subscribe to the impression that there is a ban on visas for Pakistani nationals as Pakistani nationals continue to travel to the UAE," she stressed.

"Any issues that arise with respect to the issuance of visas and stay of Pakistani nationals in the UAE are important agenda items between Pakistan and the UAE, and we continue to discuss these issues with the government of the United Arab Emirates," she added.