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Imran Khan to visit Kabul; Afghan politicians seek direct talks with Pakistan
Pakistani officials said on Wednesday in a statement that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Kabul on Thursday to discuss the Afghan peace process with President Ashraf Ghani.
According to the statement, this is Khan’s first visit to Kabul as prime minister of Pakistan.
Afghan politicians meanwhile said Wednesday that they want direct talks with Pakistan over Kabul and Islamabad disagreements.
According to politicians, Pakistan has a key role in Afghanistan’s war and has the leverage to press the Taliban to agree to a reduction in violence.
“The international community should provide [Afghanistan] the opportunity to talk to Pakistani officials directly to solve our problems with them,” said Ahmad Wali Massoud, head of a political party.
According to Massoud, the current peace talks process is not on the right track, and that the international community should guarantee peace in Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately, the current efforts are for a political deal not for a peace deal. The intention for peace does not exist,” said Massoud.
Tahir Khan, a Pakistani journalist said that peace efforts will be at the top of the agenda between Ghani and Khan.
“During the trip, the current peace process and reduction in violence will be discussed, because there is a perception in Afghanistan that Pakistan has an influence on the Taliban that is rejected by the Taliban and Pakistan also does not accept this notion,” said Tahir Khan.
On the other hand, some politicians, who maintain relationships with the Taliban, said that the fate of the peace talks is not yet clear.
“If both sides do not reach a deal, we will be forced to intervene in the peace talks,” said Gul Rahman Qazi, Chairman of Afghanistan Council for Peace and Salvation.
This comes amid the stalled peace talks in Doha which started on September 12 and a serious increase in violence across the country.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
Kyrgyzstan has completed major construction work on its territory under the regional energy project CASA-1000, according to a recent report by the Eurasian Stabilization and Development Fund (ESDF). With key infrastructure now in place, further progress on the project depends on the completion of construction in Afghanistan, which is expected by the end of 2027.
The report notes that Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan have largely finalized their respective infrastructure components and are now awaiting the completion of the Afghan section before moving forward with full operational stages.
The CASA-1000 project, valued at approximately $1.2 billion, aims to establish a high-voltage electricity transmission line linking Central and South Asia. The initiative is designed to enable Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to export surplus hydropower during summer months, when electricity demand rises in Pakistan and Afghanistan due to increased use of cooling systems.
Construction work in Afghanistan was suspended in August 2021, at a stage when only about 18 percent of transmission structures had been installed, although more than 90 percent of equipment had already been delivered to the country. Following extended negotiations and security assurances, work on the Afghan section resumed in December 2024.
ESDF experts say that once construction in Afghanistan is completed, participating countries will be able to begin technical testing of the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system. A full launch of the regional energy corridor is expected by the end of 2027, marking a significant milestone in regional energy integration between Central and South Asia.
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