ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of eradicating threats to regional countries with Islamabad highlighting the importance of addressing all issues of concern, particularly security and border management.
During his day-long visit to Kabul, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/ FM) Ishaq Dar held several meetings. He held delegation-level talks with Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Acting Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani. “The two leaders exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, including peace and security, trade and transit cooperation and regional connectivity,” said the Foreign Office after the conclusion of the Dar-Akhund meeting.
During talks with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi “the two sides called for strengthened efforts to maintain the momentum in bilateral relations and to expand cooperation in trade, transit and security, domains to the mutual benefit of both peoples. They agreed to remain engaged to achieve the full potential of regional economic development, including through realisation of trans-regional connectivity projects,” said the Foreign Office.
In their separate meeting, Dar and Sirajuddin Haqqani held in-depth discussions on security matters and reaffirmed the importance of eradicating the threats to regional countries. “Foreign Minister Dar underlined the importance of addressing all issues of concern, in particular security and border management, to harness the full potential of economic cooperation and regional connectivity,” added the Foreign Office. However, while the continued presence of TTP and BLA inside Afghanistan and their terrorist attacks on Pakistan must have been raised in delegation level talks, especially with the Afghan interior minister, the Foreign Office made no mention of this.
Another important issue, the recognition of the Taliban Regime by Russia and whether Pakistan had set conditions for recognition was bound to be discussed, but again there was no mention of it by the Foreign Office.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan signed the Framework Agreement on the Joint Feasibility Study for the Naibabad-Kharlachi rail link under the Uzbek-Afghan-Pak (UAP) Railway Corridor, as was earlier committed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif when he headed the PDM government in 2022. “The UAP Railway Corridor, a major milestone in advancing regional connectivity and economic integration, will connect Central Asian countries to Pakistani seaports through Afghanistan. The signing of agreement is the result of the leadership and commitment of the last PDM government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, when I was tasked as finance minister of PDM government, to lead this effort with brotherly countries, and we collectively laid the foundation for this transformational project,” DPM Dar said in a statement from Kabul. He thanked the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan for their support and commitment for timely signing of the agreement. “We remained closely engaged throughout the negotiation process to finalise the details,” he added.
Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Sadiq in a Tweet from Kabul called the Framework Agreement a “landmark agreement which underscores the commitment of the three nations to fostering regional connectivity, trade and economic cooperation”. He further added that signing of the agreement was a significant development and is expected to further strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, while contributing to the socio-economic development of the region. “The joint feasibility study will pave the way for the realisation of this critical infrastructure project, enhancing trade facilitation and economic integration among the participating countries.” he tweeted.
Earlier, bad weather delayed the departure of Foreign Minister Dar, who undertook a day-long visit, his second while in office, to specially sign the Framework Agreement. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising the railways minister, SAPM/ special representative for Afghanistan and railways secretary.
“The UAP Railway Project aims to build a rail link to connect Uzbekistan with Pakistan via Afghanistan and facilitate access to Pakistani seaports for Central Asian States. By facilitating regional trade and transit, the project is expected to promote regional stability, growth and development,” said the Foreign Office just before Dar departed, his visit having been kept under wraps till few hours before his departure.
Before the signing of the Framework agreement, the foreign minister, along with his Afghan and Uzbek counterparts, held a trilateral meeting in Kabul, which the Foreign Office said “reaffirmed strong ties and a shared commitment to peace, connectivity, trade and regional development. The three sides emphasised the importance of sustained cooperation to unlock the region’s economic potential and ensure long-term prosperity for their peoples”.
Earlier, on arrival in Kabul, Dar and his delegation were welcomed by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Naeem Wardag and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Obaidur Rehman Nizamani.
