Dar emphasises sustainable 'brotherly ties' with Afghanistan in Kabul visit

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affair Ishaq Dar stressed the need to further strengthen sustainable “brotherly ties” between neighbourly countries Pakistan and Afghanistan during a high-level meeting in Kabul.

Dar arrived in Kabul earlier on Saturday (today) for a day-long visit to discuss security issues, straining the relations among neighbours.

The visit follows the recent meeting of the Pak-Afghan Joint Coordination Committee, led by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Safeer Sadiq.

Before his departure, the deputy prime minister had stressed the importance of building long-term, stable relations between the two countries, calling for stronger cooperation.

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According to the statement issued by the Foreign Office,  Dar held in-depth talks with Amir Khan Muttaqi, his Afghan counterpart.

“The discussions encompassed a comprehensive range of topics pertaining to bilateral relations, underscoring the need to devise strategies for enhancing cooperation across diverse areas of mutual interest, including security, trade, transit, connectivity, and people-to-people contacts.” 

“The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised the paramount importance of addressing all pertinent issues, particularly those related to security and border management, in order to fully realise the potential for regional trade and connectivity,” it added.

During the meeting, “Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to fostering mutually beneficial relations and agreed on the importance of maintaining high-level engagement.”

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Earlier, ahead of departing to Afghanistan deputy premier stated for some reason, both countries has been experiencing a cold relationship for years, “I believe that protection of Pakistan, its people, and its property have significant importance, we have concerns regarding terrorism and we would talk discuss this.”

Dar maintained that the sustainability in ties would bring ultimate benefit to Pakistan’s business and trade, stating that “our connections with Central Asia can be built through trains, but he cannot do this until Afghanistan’s inclusion.” 

The froeign minister stated he was visiting Afghanistan with the message of good will, as Pakistan believes in fostering amicable ties with Kabul and both countries should become close partners for the development of economies and people of both countries.