Mohsin Naqvi, Sadiq Khan in Kabul for security talks

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Afghan capital Kabul Sunday afternoon for talks with Afghan Taliban leaders on important matters, Pakistani embassy officials said.

The talks would be focusing on Islamabad’s concerns at a spike in violence in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, an official source told Hum News English.

In this connection, Pakistan’s Special representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq and several other security officials are accompanying the interior minister, which is his first visit to Kabul.

Sadiq wrote on X that the Pakistani delegation would hold talks with Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who was host of negotiations between Pakistan and the leaders of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in late 2021.

Afghanistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Muhammad Nai Omari and other Taliban officials welcomed the Pakistani delegation on arrival in Kabul.

“We will share our concerns with the Taliban leaders about the recent increase in terrorist activities in parts of the country,” an official said. He requested not to be identified by name.

Meanwhile, the visit was planned after the deadly attack on security forces in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, on June 28. The attack, claimed by a three-faction alliance led by Haiz Gul Bahadur, had martyred 13 soldiers.

On the other hand, security officials insist that leaders of the Pakistani armed groups are based in Afghanistan, the charges denied by the Afghan Taliban.

The latest visit comes just days after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar where he “underlined the importance of addressing all issues of concern, in particular security and border management, to harness the full potential of economic cooperation and regional connectivity”.

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