Pakistan, Afghanistan discuss security and border management issues

KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to fostering mutually beneficial relations and agreed on the importance of maintaining high-level engagement.

Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Saturday called on Acting Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund in Kabul.

“Both sides exchanged views on key issues of mutual interest, including security, trade and transit cooperation, and explored ways to enhance people-to-people contacts,” Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release.

Reaffirming the commitment to continued engagement, both sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges to further strengthen the relations between the two brotherly countries.

Ishaq Dar arrived in Kabul for a day-long visit, at the invitation of Acting Afghan Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi.

He was welcomed at the airport by the dignitaries of Afghan government, including Minister for Finance and Administration MoFA Dr.Mohammad Naeem Wardag, DG MoFA Mufti Noor Ahmad, Chief of State Protocol Faisal Jalali.

Mohammad Ishaq Dar also engaged in extensive discussions with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

“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,” Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press statement.

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.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on the importance of maintaining high-level engagement.

A day earlier, Pakistan imposed a comprehensive ban on providing accommodation, employment, renting properties for business purposes, and hotel stays to Afghan nationals residing illegally in the country, ARY News reported on Friday.

Speaking at a media briefing in Islamabad, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry warned that strict action would be taken against individuals or entities found assisting undocumented Afghan immigrants.

“There will be no extension of stay for Afghan immigrants without a valid passport and visa,” he asserted. “There is now zero tolerance for undocumented Afghan nationals.”

Sharing deportation figures, Chaudhry revealed that since April 1, 2025, a total of 84,869 Afghan citizens have been deported. Among them, 25,320 Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) holders, while the remaining 59,549 had no official documentation.

He added that since the beginning of the one-document policy, a total of 907,351 Afghan nationals have been repatriated.

The minister noted that Afghan immigrants awaiting repatriation are being housed at transit points where they are provided with medical care, shelter, transport, and security.