Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: PID/FILE
The one-day visit, confirmed by Pakistan's foreign ministry, comes after a week in which Sharif met a delegation from the Afghan High Peace Council, and Pakistan released more high ranking Afghan Taliban.
Karzai is stalling on signing a security pact with Washington that would allow a contingent of US troops to stay on for training and counter-terror missions.
Support from Pakistan, which backed Afghanistan's 1996-2001 Taliban regime, is seen as crucial to peace after NATO troops depart, but relations between the two nations have been uneasy.
Pakistan says it has released former Taliban number two Mullah Baradar - seen by Kabul as important to bringing the militants to the negotiating table - to help the peace process.
But militant sources have complained he is effectively still behind bars.
There has been no confirmation that the High Peace Council was able to meet him during its visit last week.
It will be Sharif's first visit to Afghanistan since he took office in May for a third term as prime minister.
"He will meet with President Karzai and will discuss issues of mutual interest. Both the leaders will discuss the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan," said Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, a foreign ministry spokesperson.
The Taliban have refused to have direct contact with Karzai or with the High Peace Council, dismissing them as puppets of the United States.
A Taliban office in Qatar that opened in June was meant to lead to talks, but instead it enraged Karzai after it was styled as an embassy for a government-in-exile.
Karzai and Sharif met British Prime Minister David Cameron in London last month in the fourth of a series of trilateral meetings designed to foster stability in the volatile South Asia region.
The meeting was considerably more low-key than one hosted by Cameron at his official country retreat in February, which ended with grand promises of a peace deal within six months.
COMMENTS (20)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1714129906-0/Clint-Eastwood-(1)1714129906-0-270x192.webp)
Seriously what's with our PM and wasting our nation's money on his never ending world tours. Probably he's trying to diversify his taste palette and trying international cuisines to go with his payas and niharis
@ Sterry You are the official mouthpiece of ISPR propagating same old tired and cliched ISPR propaganda. Afghanistan is no place for meek souls from India and Pakistan. Your client state comments are so outdated and it is a narrative peddled by madrassas.
You should look into the status of Pakistan as a rental state working for the highest bidder whose sole function is to defame Islam.
@Pakistani1: cos india is now all over afghanistan and around pakistan ...!!
PM Sb...pls stay put in your own country.....stable Pakistán will make Afghanistan stable, not vice versa.....
@ Nikki
You live in a fantasy world. India has spent 2 billion $ in Afghanistan in the last decade and this relationship is not about to change because of Pakistan or any other nation.
There are no permanent friends or enemies but permanent interests in international relations. Pakistan is in no position to dictate how a sovereign nation conducts its foreign affairs.
@Ali: I think Iqbal was referring to Afghanistan's near neighbors.
Neither country you cite are near neighbors of Afghanistan but Pakistan is and its now paying a very heavy price as a result of our policy there.
Mian Nawaz Sharif is following the great approach of restoring peace with all the neighbors including India & Afghanistan. Economic prosperity always follows regional peace!
A stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan.
As Muhammad Iqbal wrote:
"Asia is a being of dirt and water. The country of Afghans is the heart in this body. If Afghanistan decays, all of Asia will decay. If the heart flourishes, then all of Asia will flourish."
@Shankar: News is about Pakistan and Afghanistan why is indian poking nose
Also, please send the 1 million+ afghanis back to their country. As it is many are illegals and a threat to security and our economy is not in a position to give them jobs
Yesterday Nawaz Sharif sealed any chances of peace in Afghanistan by bringing people similar to Hamid Gul in key positions. He took the mission given to him by his spiritual daddy Zia-ul-Haq as a duty and is hellbent on complete annihilation of moderate and sane voices in Pakistan.
@Rao: Startegic depth doctrine---------its India's approach not Pakistan's
Dear PM, Can you extend to PK that the people of Pakistan are also sick and tired of Taliban and we wish the same for Afghanistan like we wish for Pakistan but that a few individuals are still dreaming about the 80s and 90s. Extend him that we are both brotherly countries and we respect Afghan history and sense of independence and we will stop dreaming of it being our 5th soobah.
@Nikki:
well said, you dont like Indian policy this shows you are PKISTANI,but Indian policy may not allow you two people ( Indian guy and Pakistani girl) to meet. India has its legitimise role in Afgahnsiatn, so Pakistan has it also.
welcome and pray for peacful efforst
Mr. Prime Minister,give him clear message that they should not accomodate Indians too much,this is the point where Pakistan has no gurantee to interven.Its a reality, personally, I love Indian guy but not Indian's policy to disturb Pakistan.
Assure him that Pakistan will away from Afghanistan's internal affairs and will not think about " startegic depth doctrine".