Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday expressed his deep concern over the state of relations between Kabul and Islamabad during a meeting with Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq.

Sadiq, who is leading Islamabad’s delegation, is in Kabul for the 7th session of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting.

The meeting comes amid growing tensions between the two countries, with Afghan refugee deportations and skirmishes along the border.

Pakistan, which has seen an increase in security incidents in the past few years, has also repeatedly accused the Islamic Emirate of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghanistan.

Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Wednesday that Muttaqi “expressed his deep concern over the state of relations between Kabul and Islamabad”, particularly regarding the forced deportation of Afghan refugees.

Muttaqi emphasized that both countries should resolve their issues through dialogue in an atmosphere of mutual trust and avoid actions or statements that may lead to public resentment or provoke emotions.

Sadiq in turn noted that the two neighboring countries share deep ties and should explore ways to resolve the challenges that have arisen.

Nooruddin Azizi, the Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and a high-ranking delegation, has left for Pakistan for talks on various issues.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce stated that the purpose of this trip is to assess and resolve existing obstacles in trade, transit, and transportation between the two countries, as well as to hold discussions regarding the challenges faced by Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan.

The high-level delegation led by Azizi includes representatives from the office of the Economic Deputy Prime Minister, the Investment Facilitation Directorate of the Administrative Office, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Refugees and Repatriation,

Washington’s former special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said in a social media post on Wednesday that he is concerned Pakistan might be using the expulsion of refugees as a cover to send in ISIS fighters into Afghanistan.

In a post on X on Wednesday, April 16, Khalilzad said: “Knowledgeable people tell me that they are concerned that the Pakistan establishment might well be using the expulsion of Afghan refugees as a cover to send ISIS terrorists to Afghanistan. I share this concern.”

Khalilzad did not elaborate further, nor did he clarify who the “knowledgeable people” were.

The Islamic Emirate has long been known to fight ISIS and has in the past accused Pakistan of supporting the militant group.

In January, Afghanistan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs said ISIS was operating training centers in Pakistan.

Khalilzad’s remarks come amid intensified efforts by Pakistan to deport hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in the country.

Pakistan began deporting undocumented Afghans in October 2023 but following a directive in December, authorities ramped up the deportations from April 1. In the first two weeks of this month over 45,000 Afghans returned.