Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that terrorism has increased in his country and negotiations with neighboring Afghanistan are the only forward.

In a message posted on X on Thursday, Imran Khan said his government had been engaged in direct talks with the then Afghan government despite strained relations and had successfully eliminated terrorism over three years.

He added that after the end of his tenure, the adoption of Biden’s policy led to numerous issues, and today, the public is bearing the consequences in the form of increased terrorism. 

Imran Khan criticized that the foreign minister of the current Pakistani government has not yet visited Afghanistan and has not undertaken any serious diplomatic initiatives.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a meeting with the Japanese ambassador in Kabul that the engagement of the Islamic Emirate with the region and beyond is moving in a positive direction, adding that the Islamic Emirate wants to have respectful relations with all sides, based on a balanced and economy-oriented policy and without harming others.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Muttaqi called the recent visit of the Islamic Emirate delegation to Japan a constructive step towards expanding bilateral relations and said that such interactions should continue to pave the way for bilateral cooperation.

He emphasized that currently, with nationwide security in Afghanistan, many investment opportunities have been created and Japan can invest in major projects.

Japanese Ambassador to Kabul Takayoshi Kuramaya said that the visit of the Islamic Emirate delegation to his country was a positive step and expressed hope that this visit would play an important role in the relations between the two countries.

He praised the decisive fight against the cultivation and production of narcotics in Afghanistan and assured of Japan’s cooperation in providing alternative cultivation.

He also referred to the working groups of the Doha Process and expressed hope that the joint work between Afghanistan and the international community would yield good results.

Senior security officials including Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Acting Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid met with Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced on Friday.

Mujahid said on X that the meeting, which took place in Kandahar province, presented the country’s security report.

He added that the proposals of the security institutions were listened to and they were given necessary instructions.

According to him, necessary decisions were taken to improve the order, equipping and capacity building of security institutions.

The meeting was also attended by Director of Intelligence Abdul Haq Wasiq, Deputy Defense Minister Abdul Qayum Zakir and Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Nabi Omari.