Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq informed Pakistan’s Standing committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday that relations with Afghanistan were expected to improve as high-level discussions to ease tensions were being planned.

Sadiq, who visited Kabul last month, had been invited to brief committee members on the situation with Afghanistan.

The upper house session, chaired by Senator Irfan Siddiqui, was held behind closed doors.

“Just briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in an in-camera session on the situation in Afghanistan and the challenges facing our bilateral relations.

A candid and constructive discussion on regional developments and the path ahead for Pakistan-Afghanistan relations was a great learning experience,” Sadiq said in a statement posted on X after the meeting.

This comes after Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani in Kabul on Monday where he expressed regret over the “forced deportation of Afghan refugees and the inappropriate treatment by certain quarters”.

He described the current mistreatment as provocative and harmful to the relations between the two countries, and called for an end to such actions.

Irfan meanwhile said after the committee hearing that Afghan-Pakistan talks would be appropriate. He added that Sadiq had also shared with the committee that the issue of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was being taken up forcefully with the Afghan authorities.

Pakistan began deporting undocumented Afghans in October 2023 but following a directive in December, authorities have ramped up the deportations since April 1. In the first two weeks of this month over 45,000 Afghans returned.

In a separate meeting on Monday, in Islamabad, the UAE’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Saif Mohammed Al Ketbi, met with Sadiq to discuss security concerns and Afghanistan.

Al Ketbi confirmed the meeting in a post on X but did not provide further details.

Sadiq however said the two diplomats also discussed regional challenges and emphasized the commitment to jointly confront them.

Al Ketbi meanwhile first visited Kabul for talks with IEA officials before traveling to Pakistan.

In a meeting with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Al Ketbi discussed a number of issues including bilateral relations, and trade and transit matters.