On Wednesday, a senior Pakistani delegation visited Kabul for talks with Taliban officials. The delegation was led by Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif and included Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, the director general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI. The meeting was held with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghanistan’s acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. The two sides discussed economic cooperation, regional connectivity, trade, and their countries’ relations. Baradar stated that political and security concerns should not affect business or economic matters.
The visit came four days after the Torkham border crossing was closed by Afghan authorities, accusing Pakistan of not abiding by its commitments. Pakistan had tightened border controls due to security concerns, which led to an exchange of fire between security forces at the border that wounded one Pakistani guard. Sources at Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they were not informed by their Afghan counterparts why the border point was closed.
The meeting also took place as Pakistan faces a dramatic surge in violence after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, ended a months-long ceasefire with Pakistan’s government. The TTP is allied with the Afghan Taliban, but the two groups maintain separate structures. Pakistani officials have previously alleged that armed groups are launching attacks on their country from Afghanistan, which the Taliban has denied.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the “security and terrorist threat emanating” from Afghanistan was the most important issue in the region. The Afghan government pushed back against his statement and said Pakistan should discuss bilateral issues face-to-face instead of “complaining at international conferences”.
Security analyst Amir Rana said the first high-level meeting between the two sides in months was “very encouraging” despite the recent increase in tensions. However, he noted that there is no consensus in Pakistan on what their Afghan policy should be. Defence analyst Saad Muhammad argued that “appeasement” would not work and that Pakistan must raise the cost of confrontation to a point which makes it unaffordable for the adversary. He criticized the delegation’s visit to Kabul and said Pakistan has acted timidly.
Overall, the visit to Kabul by a senior Pakistani delegation was seen as a positive step towards improving relations between the two countries. However, tensions remain high due to security concerns and a lack of consensus on how to address them. It remains to be seen if the two sides can come to an agreement on how to move forward and resolve their differences.