(Asghar Ali Mubarak)
Islamabad (TNS), Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul and discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation. Mohammad Sadiq said in a post on micro-blogging platform ‘X’ that ‘Today I met with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in which we discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations as well as peace and development in the region.’ According to a separate ‘X’ post, Mohammad Sadiq had met with Interim Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani in Kabul the previous day. According to the Post, “Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in various fields to further strengthen the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.” Earlier this month, Pakistan decided to re-appoint the special representative for Afghanistan, but there was no formal announcement in this regard. The Taliban had decided to remove members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and their families from the border area adjacent to the Afghan city of Ghazni. The Foreign Ministry, given on December 13, had said that Pakistan’s recent talks with Afghanistan emphasize that long-standing issues between the two countries can be resolved through dialogue. It is worth noting that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are strained due to ongoing tensions on the border and Islamabad’s repeated demands for Kabul to take action against the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Meanwhile, diplomatic talks have begun between officials of the two countries. In this regard, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghan Charge d’Affaires to Pakistan Sardar Ahmed Shakib met in Islamabad on December 9. It may be recalled that Mohammad Sadiq Khan was reappointed as Special Representative for Afghanistan on December 6, having served in the same position 3 years ago. Mohammad Sadiq Khan retired from the post of Special Representative for Afghanistan in 2023. Before that, he had served as Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2014. Former diplomat Asif Durrani was removed from the post of Special Representative for Afghanistan on September 10, 2023, but no special envoy was appointed for Afghanistan after that.
