• Inter-ministerial delegation’s trip comes in backdrop of obstruction in border fencing, resurgence of terrorist attacks
• Meetings meant to strengthen humanitarian and economic ties, tweets Pakistan’s ambassador

ISLAMABAD: National Secu­rity Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf on Saturday held talks with senior Taliban officials in Kabul on bilateral ties.

Dr Yusuf, who was leading an inter-ministerial delegation, kic­ked off the trip with a meeting with Taliban regime’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

He is the second ministerial-level government functionary to have visited Kabul since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last year, as earlier Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had visited the country in October.

Though Pakistan has still not formally recognised the Taliban government, much like the rest of the world, but it has been maintaining an active engagement with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers, besides being the strongest advocate of their recognition and engagement with the international community.

The visit is taking place in the backdrop of incidents of obstruction of border fencing by Taliban commanders and resurgence of terrorist attacks by Afghanistan-based Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militants. Afghan Taliban had earlier sponsored talks between the government and the banned TTP, resulting in month-long ceasefire beginning on Nov 9. However, the process of dialogue failed to inch forward in December when the terrorist group unilaterally decided against extending the ceasefire.

The security adviser ahead of his trip to Kabul informed a National Assembly panel that there was “total positivity” about Pakistan in the Taliban government. He impliedly said that opposition to the border fencing was not a Taliban policy rather it was done by some local commanders in Afghanistan.

Referring to the visit of Dr Yusuf, Afghan media said that fencing and TTP attacks were expected to feature in the security adviser’s meetings with the Afghan Taliban leaders.

Humanitarian, economic ties

Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmed Khan tweeted that the NSA’s meetings in Kabul were meant to “strengthen humanitarian and economic engagement”.

Afghanistan’s ToloNews quoted Taliban spokesman Inamullah Samangani as having said: “The Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan] held talks over different issues such as politics, trade, the economy, transit and the extension of bilateral relations.”

Amb Khan termed Dr Yusuf’s meeting with the Taliban foreign minister “constructive”.

The adviser later also met Taliban’s acting deputy prime minister Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi.

During the meeting, the two sides “discussed strengthening of Pakistan-Afghanistan brotherly relations to promote trade, transit, connectivity,” Amb Khan tweeted.

Pakistan government is providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan worth Rs5 billion to deal with its immediate humanitarian crisis, besides allowing Indian food assistance for the war-torn country to transit through Pakistan.

The aid includes food commodities especially 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, emergency medical supplies, winter shelters and other goods.

However, India is yet to start the shipment of the food aid that it had announced for Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2022