ISLAMABAD: Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is set to pay a three-day official visit to Pakistan in the first week of August for wide-ranging talks on key issues amid signs of improvement in relations, sources told Hum News English on Tuesday.
Muttaqi will hold meetings with Pakistani civil and military leaders in his visit, beginning on Aug 4, a source said.
He last visited Pakistan in May 2023.
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Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who is holds the portfolio of foreign minister, had invited his counterpart during his visit in April this year.
However, the Foreign Office spokesperson did not reply when asked to confirm the visit.
Pakistani officials say that an Afghan delegation of officials from various ministries is in Islamabad and holding talks with counterparts for discussions on border and security issues.
The Afghan foreign minister will lead a high-level delegation and hold formal talks with Dar to review implementation of decisions in meetings held in Kabul over the past few months.
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Muttaqi will also call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and several other civil and military leaders, sources said.
He will deliver a talk at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) to explain his government’s four-year policies and reply to questions.
TERRORIST SANCTUARIES
Taliban took control of Kabul in Aug 2021 hours after former president Ashraf Ghani left the country and is currently living in the UAE.
Experts are of the view that the visit is important after nearly two years when there was an ups and down in relations.
“It would be a good opportunity for both countries to take the relationship forward,” Pakistan’s former ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Khan told Him News English.
Ambassador Mansoor agreed with the notion that security issues have a negative impact on bilateral relations including trade ties.
The Afghan foreign minister’s visit takes places after a series of visits by senior leaders, ministers and officials.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are set to elevate the level of charge d’affaires to ambassador, most likely ahead or during the visit.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told weekly press briefing on Friday that Pakistani leaders have always raised security issue with Afghan leaders.
He said the issue of “sanctuaries enjoyed by terrorists in Afghanistan” was a key point during the recent visit of the Interior Minister to Kabul as well as all other leaders.