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IEA urges Pakistan’s new government to improve relations with Kabul
After Shehbaz Sharif was elected to head Pakistan’s new government, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Monday called on Islamabad to improve relations with Kabul.
IEA’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, expressed hope that with the formation of a new government in Pakistan, the country’s mistreatment of Afghan immigrants will end and political, economic and commercial relations between the two countries will expand.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan stands by Pakistan as a brother country. It is expected from Pakistan that the new government will take good steps in improving the relations between the two countries, especially in the field of trade, immigrants and some other issues that Afghans were already facing. It should adopt a good policy in this regard. It is what we expect and we also hope that the future government will maintain its relations with Afghanistan very responsibly,” Mujahid said.
It is the second time that Shehbaz Sharif has been elected prime minister of Pakistan.
Sharif, 72, won a parliamentary vote for premier, resuming the role he had held until August when parliament was dissolved ahead of last month’s elections. Pakistan has had a caretaker government since.
He was named by his party and coalition allies to head Pakistan, despite his elder brother Nawaz Sharif winning a seat in the assembly and being the favorite to be sworn in again.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have had many ups and downs, and recently, the caretaker government of Pakistan deported hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees, pushing relations between Kabul and Islamabad to a new low.
“With the change of prime ministers and parliaments in Pakistan, no change will occur in Pakistan’s foreign policy, because Pakistan’s foreign policy is provided by the Pakistan Army… Pakistan’s foreign policy towards Afghanistan has always involved violence,” said Khalil Ahmed Nadem, a political expert.
Meanwhile, Pakistani media have reported that talks between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad will resume with the help of the Islamic Emirate.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
Anand Prakash, head of the Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul for talks on various issues.
According to a press release issued Sunday by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, bilateral political relations, trade, transit and recent political developments in the region were discussed in the meeting.
Muttaqi stressed the need for the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and explained that Afghanistan currently offers favorable opportunities for investment. He said Indian investors should take advantage of these opportunities.
He also said that facilities should be created for the movement of people between Afghanistan and India and the issuance of visas for medical purposes, students and businessmen should return to normal.
Meanwhile, Prakash said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and he hopes that these relations will expand further in various fields.
He stressed that India will continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and wants to invest in some infrastructure projects and restart projects that were paused for some time.
The two sides also emphasized the expansion of relations, the exchange of delegations, visa facilitation and bilateral cooperation.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a phone call with his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.
During the call, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as expanding political, economic and transit cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said in a statement on Sunday.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan have tripled in the first four months of 2025 compared to last year. He vowed to create more facilities in the field of trade and transit between the two countries, especially in issuing visas to Afghan citizens.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of major economic projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway project and for the strengthening of political, trade and transit cooperation with Uzbekistan. He said that the existing opportunities should be utilized for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed the holding of a trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers and agreed to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine the exact date and place of the meeting.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbek foreign minister last Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project.
Dar expressed hope that the three countries would soon sign a framework agreement on this important regional project.
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