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Kabul rebuffs visit request from Pakistani officials Khawaja Asif and Asim Malik
The IEA refused to approve the visit, citing Pakistan’s recent airspace violations and airstrikes on civilian areas in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has rejected a request for an official visit by a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, sources confirmed to Ariana News.
According to the sources, the delegation — which included Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, ISI Director-General Lt. Gen. Muhammad Asim Malik, and two senior Pakistani generals — had made repeated attempts over the past two days to obtain travel visas through the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad.
However, the IEA refused to approve the visit, citing Pakistan’s recent airspace violations and airstrikes on civilian areas in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.
Officials in Kabul described the decision as a direct response to what they called “repeated acts of aggression” by Pakistan’s military. “No delegation can expect to visit Kabul while our citizens are under attack,” one Afghan government source said.
Analysts say the move represents one of the strongest diplomatic rebukes by the IEA since coming to power in 2021, highlighting growing frustration over Pakistan’s military operations near the border and alleged interference in Afghan internal affairs.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated in recent weeks following a series of deadly cross-border incidents and mutual accusations of harboring militants.
Islamabad has accused militant groups operating from Afghan territory of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, while Kabul has condemned Pakistan for launching unauthorized airstrikes that have resulted in civilian casualties.
The latest rejection underscores the widening diplomatic rift between the two neighbors and signals Kabul’s intent to push back against what it views as violations of Afghan sovereignty.
“This is not just a diplomatic snub — it’s a message that the IEA will not engage with Pakistan on its terms,” said a regional analyst familiar with the situation.
Neither Kabul nor Islamabad has issued an official public statement on the matter.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that security risks in Central Asia and developments in Afghanistan are among the primary concerns for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The CSTO is a regional military alliance that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Speaking in Moscow during a meeting with CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov, Lavrov described the region’s security challenges as “central” to the organization’s agenda.
“The problems that are currently among the central ones for the CSTO are new challenges and threats. I am referring to the situation in the Central Asian region of collective security, as well as everything related to what is happening in Afghanistan,” he said.
He praised Masadykov as “one of the leading experts” on Central Asian security, noting that his experience could enhance coordination and increase the effectiveness of allied actions.
Similar to NATO, the CSTO considers an attack on one member state as an attack on all.
Countries in the region have always expressed concern about security threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed these concerns and assured that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against another country.
The Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan has announced that the leader of the Islamic Emirate has approved the establishment of a faculty dedicated to “Prophetic Medicine.”
According to the ministry, this new faculty will play a vital role in advancing medical sciences and training skilled healthcare professionals across the country.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Noorullah Noori, has announced that the long-delayed demarcation and renovation of border markers along the Afghanistan–Iran frontier will officially begin in the near future.
According to a statement from the ministry, Noori made the remarks during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Ali-Reza Bikdeli.
He assured the Iranian side that the Islamic Emirate is fully committed to accelerating the process and resolving any challenges that may arise during implementation.
In a separate statement, the Iranian Embassy in Kabul said Bikdeli underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation on border issues, describing it as a key factor in strengthening and expanding overall relations between the two countries.
Officials from both sides agreed nearly three months ago to resume the border-marker renovation project, which had remained stalled for the past seven years.
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