Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday discussed a wide range of issues with Afghanistan’s interim Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund.
Qureshi is on his first visit to Kabul after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August.
Akhund received Qureshi at the ARG Presidential Office, where they had a meeting in the presence of the Afghan leadership, Ambassador of Pakistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan said.
The discussions focused on facilitating people-to-people interaction, trade, transit, and connectivity between two brotherly nations, he said.
Qureshi is the third foreign minister after Qatar and Uzbekistan to visit since the Taliban took power after ousting Ashraf Ghani’s regime.
In a statement issued earlier, the Foreign Office said Qureshi is in Kabul for a day-long visit and is set to hold important talks with the Afghan leadership.
During his meetings with top Afghan officials, the foreign minister will share Pakistan’s perspective on issues of regional peace and stability, the statement said.
The statement added that Pakistan has always stood by Afghanistan and kept the border crossing points open for trade and pedestrian crossing under COVID protocols.
Facilitative visa regime for Afghan nationals and border crossing procedures for trade and cargo have been instituted, it added. In recent months, Pakistan has provided humanitarian aid and assistance in the form of food stuffs and medicines.
The foreign minister’s visit reflects Pakistan’s consistent policy of supporting the brotherly Afghan people, deepening bilateral trade and economic relations, and facilitating closer people-to-people contacts, read the statement.
