What’s on the Agenda? Pakistan and Afghanistan Meet Amid Rising Tensions

High-Level Talks in Kabul

Islamabad: On Wednesday, Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan, arrived in Kabul to engage in discussions focused on security and border matters.

Leading a team that includes military and intelligence representatives, Sadiq is participating in the 7th session of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Coordination Committee (JCC). This meeting comes amid escalating tensions between the two nations, issues surrounding the deportation of Afghan refugees, border skirmishes, and the heightened presence of armed groups within Pakistan, as reported by local news.

Pakistan asserts that these armed factions operate from Afghan territory, a claim that Afghan officials have refuted.

The Afghan delegation will be headed by Deputy Defence Minister Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, as confirmed by government spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid.

Zakir, a prominent Taliban figure, previously commanded the Taliban's military operations during the two-decade conflict against US-NATO forces.

Sadiq announced on social media, "The Special Representative for Afghanistan has arrived in Kabul leading a delegation for the JCC meeting, which is taking place after a significant interval."

The previous JCC meeting occurred in Islamabad in early January 2024.

Mujahid indicated that the agenda includes addressing potential disputes along the Durand Line and enhancing facilities for citizens on both sides.

Pakistani officials highlighted that the presence of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups poses a significant challenge to the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Additionally, Pakistan's Foreign Office recently stated that the terrorists involved in the Jaffar Express hijacking had links to Afghanistan, with phone records traced back to Kabul.

In response, the Afghan Taliban claimed that ISKP (Daesh) militants entered Afghanistan from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a statement that Pakistan dismissed as "baseless."

In a related development, Afghan Minister of Industry and Commerce Noor Uddin Azizi is leading a delegation to Pakistan on Wednesday to discuss a preferential trade agreement, tariff reductions on specific goods, a revised transit agreement, and improved facilities for traders at border crossings.