Pakistani delegation reaches Kabul to discuss ‘security-related matters’

A high-ranking Pakistani delegation led by the Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif arrived in Kabul on Wednesday to meet with officials of the Afghan interim government.

According to a tweet by the Foreign Office, the two sides will discuss security-related matters including counter-terrorism measures.

The delegation’s visit comes at a time when Pakistan is witnessing a spike in terrorism incidents, including one in the Police Lines in Peshawar and one on the Karachi Police Office.

Moreover, the Torkham border has been closed for past three days day following a deadlock over starting a dialogue prevailed between border officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Thousands of trucks stuck at Afghan-Pakistan border crossing

On Saturday, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that national harmony was needed to uproot the “monster of terrorism”, adding that “Imran Khan’s lust for power was creating hurdles in achieving that.”

PM condemns terrorist attack at Balochistan Levies Force checkpost

Talking to a private media channel, he said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) avoided building a national consensus against terrorism by refusing to participate in the All Parties Conference (APC) called in the wake of the Police Lines Peshawar tragedy.

While condemning the Karachi terror attack, the minister said the government’s top priority was to control terrorism and deal with the economic crisis and that it had kept all political differences and instability aside to achieve those endeavours.

TTP warns of more attacks against police

Last week, five terrorists attacked Karachi Police office. In response, a counter-terrorism operation featuring personnel from Pakistan Army, Rangers and Sindh Police was launched.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) took responsibility for the attack in a message sent by its spokesman to journalists.

The TTP, which is separate from the Afghan Taliban but with a similar fundamental ideology, emerged in Pakistan in 2007 and carried out a horrific wave of violence that was largely crushed by a military operation launched in late 2014.

Security forces clear Karachi police office, terrorists killed

But attacks – mostly targeting security forces – have been on the rise again since the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul in August 2021 and a shaky months-long ceasefire between the TTP and Islamabad ended in November last year.