Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Thursday and the two leaders explored ways to deepen bilateral ties and discussed the Afghan reconciliation process, amid a rebound in the violence that has strained the momentum for peace in the country’s war.
Khan was received by the Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar and the Afghan President’s Special Representative for Pakistan, Mohammad Umer Daudzai, and senior officials upon arrival at Kabul airport on his maiden trip to Afghanistan, authorities said.
He was received by President Ghani upon his arrival at the ARG Presidential Palace, located in the heart of the city of Kabul.
Khan was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Trade Advisor Abdul Razak Dawood, ISI Chief, Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood and Special Representative for Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq.
According to officials, the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, the peace process, and regional economic development and connectivity.
They agreed to strengthen bilateral relations as the peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan are linked through ties of history, faith, culture, values and traditions.
Khan expressed confidence that his visit would help foster a stronger and more multifaceted relationship between the two countries.
This is Khan’s first visit to Afghanistan since he took office in 2018. It is the highest-profile visit by a Pakistani official to Kabul since the peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government began in Doha in September.
It comes days after the Pentagon announced that it would reduce the number of US military personnel in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 in mid-January.
The announcement came as there has been an increase in violence, and the Taliban continue to carry out attacks against government leaders, security forces and civilians.
President Ghani last visited Pakistan in June 2019.
The Pakistani prime minister’s visit is heralded as a symbol of the growing trust between the two countries, sparked by Pakistan’s role in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, after years of acrimony between Islamabad and Kabul.
Previously, the two leaders had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 14th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca in May 2019. Khan also had a phone conversation with President Ghani in September 2020.
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