Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar meets with interim Afghanistan government Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Photo courtesy Foreign Office
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar reached Kabul for a one-day official visit on Tuesday, discussing a wide range of bilateral issues, including cooperation between the neighboring states on a myriad of sectors, including education and health.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Khar met the Afghanistan interim government’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, Mines and Petroleum Minister Shahabuddin Delawar, and Commerce Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi. It said she discussed several bilateral issues, including cooperation in education, health, agriculture, trade and investment, regional connectivity, people-to-people contacts and socioeconomic projects.
Stressing Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful, stable, prosperous and connected Afghanistan, the minister reiterated Islamabad’s resolve to further deepen and strengthen multifaceted ties between the neighboring countries and build an enduring partnership for shared prosperity. Khar, per the statement, also underscored the need for the international community to practically engage with the Interim government to help Afghanistan address its dire humanitarian situation and aid in reconstruction and socioeconomic development. Unfreezing of Afghanistan’s financial assets would greatly aid in achieving this, she added.
Both sides, according to the Foreign Office, agreed on the significance of a sustained bilateral political dialogue and the vital role of institutional mechanisms to advance the myriad tracks of Pak-Afghan relations. They also, it said, emphasized the importance of Afghanistan as a land bridge between Central Asia and South Asia and the pivotal role it could play in promoting regional connectivity, including through transportation links and mega energy projects such as TAPI and CASA-1000.
The statement said both sides had also discussed matters related to enhancing regional security with mutual cooperation, including in countering terrorism, and issues and policies that would impact the interim government’s engagement with the international community.
During her visit, Khar engaged with representatives of the Women Chamber of Commerce, emphasizing the important role of women in Afghan society. Expressing Pakistan’s keen desire to strengthen linkages between women entrepreneurs of both countries, she announced that Islamabad would give special preference to importing products produced by businesses run by Afghan women.
The visit, said the Foreign Office, “was a manifestation of the high importance Pakistan attaches to its longstanding fraternal relationship with Afghanistan.”