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Three senior US officials to visit Islamabad, talks on Afghanistan expected
A senior US official dealing with refugee issues will begin a four-day trip to Islamabad from Monday in the first of a series of visits by American officials amid deteriorating ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistani media reported.
Julieta Valls Noyes, the US assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, arrives in Islamabad Monday and will leave on Thursday, Express Tribune reported.
On December 7, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West will arrive in Islamabad. After his visit, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst, who is responsible for Pakistan, will arrive on December 9, according to the newspaper.
The flurry of visits by American officials come against the backdrop of Pakistan’s move to expel all illegal Afghans, which has created tension with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). Tensions were already high over what Islamabad claims is the IEA providing havens for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“Pakistan and the United States continue to hold consultations on a range of issues. To advance these consultations, exchange of visits also takes place,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement while giving context of the visits.
“These visits are part of ongoing dialogue with the US on a range of issues, including, but not limited to, the situation in Afghanistan,” she added.
A statement issued by the US State Department said that Assistant Secretary of State Noyes will travel to Islamabad for a December 4-7 visit during which he would meet “senior government officials, as well as non-governmental and international organization partners”.
“In Islamabad, Assistant Secretary Noyes will meet with senior government officials, as well as non-governmental and international organization partners, to discuss shared efforts to protect vulnerable individuals and accelerate safe, efficient relocation and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. immigration pipeline,” the statement said.
More than 400,000 Afghans have returned home since Pakistan announced plans to deport illegal refugees.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has said that the issue of refugees should not be used as a tool of pressure and their rights should not be violated.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced that it will continue providing its essential health services to the people of Afghanistan.
In a post on X, the organization, referring to Afghanistan’s health needs, said that over the past year it has been active in various health sectors across the country, ranging from maternal and child care to emergency response, as well as the treatment of patients suffering from tuberculosis and severe injuries.
According to MSF, its teams over the past year have been present at a range of health facilities, including neonatal intensive care units, operating theatres, surgical centers, and specialized tuberculosis treatment wards, where they have delivered life-saving services to patients.
The organization stressed that it will continue ensuring the provision of health services, particularly for needy families and vulnerable communities in remote areas of Afghanistan.
The Embassy of Afghanistan in Japan, currently run by diplomats of the previous government, has announced that it will suspend its operations in Tokyo after the end of January 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, the embassy said the decision was made after consultations with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close coordination with Japanese authorities, and in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The embassy added that after January 31, all of its political, economic, cultural, and consular activities will be halted until further notice.
Currently, Shaida Abdali is serving as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Japan.
Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, held a courtesy meeting with Zakir Jalali, the Second Political Deputy of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the start of his mission.
The Turkish Embassy in Kabul said in a post that the meeting included mutual exchanges of views on bilateral relations.
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