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Taliban Releases Six Crew of Pakistani Helicopter
Afghan Taliban have released the six crew of a Pakistani helicopter which crash-landed in eastern Logar province of Afghanistan on August 4th, a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
“The six member crew of the Punjab government helicopter that went missing in Afghanistan on August 4 has been released and arrived in Islamabad today,” the statement said on Saturday.
Five Pakistanis and a Russian were taken hostage by the Taliban militants after the Russian-made transport helicopter belonging to the Punjab provincial government of Pakistan crash-landed in the Taliban-held Logar province of Afghanistan earlier this month.
After the incident, Afghan authorities confirmed that Pakistani helicopter had permission to pass Afghanistan’s air to Uzbekistan for maintenance.
Immediately it was not released what was paid in ransom for the release of the hostages to the Taliban.
Sources close to Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani tell Ariana News that the U.S. government has removed bounties on several Islamic Emirate officials.
According to the sources, those no longer on the list include Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani.
Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, and Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Saturday to address ongoing trade and transit challenges, stressing the importance of preventing political tensions from impacting economic ties, the ministry said in a statement.
The two officials focused on finalizing the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and resolving issues related to the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), the statement read.
The meeting also discussed the upcoming visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister to Afghanistan and a planned visit by an Islamic Emirate delegation to Pakistan.
The ministry hailed Sadiq’s visit to Kabul as a positive step, with Azizi emphasizing its constructive role in enhancing bilateral trade relations.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq met on Saturday and discussed bilateral relations, political and economic cooperation, security and transit, said Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at Foreign Ministry in a statement.
In this meeting, Muttaqi emphasized that obstacles to trade and transit are not in anyone’s interest and that certain issues should not be linked together.
He added that the process of Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan should be carried out gradually and with dignity.
According to the statement, Pakistan’s special representative also acknowledged that ensuring security in Afghanistan benefits both Pakistan and the region.
He committed to introducing measures to facilitate the visa issuance process for Afghan citizens.
Mohammad Sadiq also stated that practical steps will be taken to resolve existing trade and transit challenges.
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