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Khalili meets with Pakistan’s speaker of the house to discuss peace process
Hizb-e-Wahadat-e-Islami Chairman Muhammad Karim Khalili met with Pakistan National Assembly Speaker, Asad Qaiser in Islamabad on Monday and discussed the Afghan peace process among other issues.
Khalili, who is leading a delegation on a three-day visit to Islamabad, has also already met with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshiis and is expected to meet with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, and other Pakistani officials in the next two days.
Khalili’s office said in a statement that in his meeting with Qaiser, the two sides discussed the peace process and expansion of bilateral and trade ties.
Qaiser said that the Afghan peace process would be the start to an era of peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region, his office said in a statement.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s all-out support to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
“During the meeting, Pak-Afghan relations and the political situation in the region and issues of mutual interest came into discussion. The Speaker said that Pakistan was desirous of seeing a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan which is in the best interest of not only Pakistan but the entire region,” the statement read.
“He (Qaiser) said that peaceful Afghanistan is imperative for the development and prosperity of the region. He said that Pakistani and Afghan people were bound in everlasting ties of religion, brotherhood, history, and culture,” the statement noted.
Qaiser also said that Pakistan is steadfast in its support of inclusive, broad-based, and political peace efforts in Afghanistan.
“He said that the parties to the peace process should seize this opportunity and engage constructively for ending the decades-old conflict in Afghanistan,” the statement read.
He added that positive progression in the peace negotiations depicts the commitment of the Afghan leadership in the peace process.
Qaiser stated that with the advent of peace, the country would head towards sustainable development.
“The visit of Muhammad Karim Khalili is part of Pakistan’s ongoing policy to reach out to political leadership in Afghanistan to forge a common understanding on the Afghan peace process and deepen people-to-people linkages,” the statement concluded.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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SAARC failure pushes Pakistan toward trilateral ties with Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh: Dar
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that the failure of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is pushing Pakistan toward exploring trilateral cooperation frameworks involving Afghanistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Conference in Lahore on Friday, Dar said SAARC has “unfortunately not been able to kick off,” limiting regional economic integration and cooperation.
He said Pakistan is now looking at alternative regional arrangements to strengthen economic connectivity and trade, including trilateral formats such as China–Pakistan–Afghanistan and China–Pakistan–Bangladesh.
Dar stressed that South Asia cannot remain in “isolation,” noting that the region, home to nearly two billion people, is missing significant economic opportunities due to weak cooperation among neighbouring countries.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to promote economic and regional integration among South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The organisation was designed to encourage cooperation in areas such as trade, development, education, and cultural exchange. However, in recent years, SAARC’s effectiveness has been significantly limited due to political tensions between member states, particularly between India and Pakistan, leading to stalled summits and reduced regional engagement.
As a result, regional economic cooperation in South Asia has largely remained underdeveloped compared to other regional blocs around the world.
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