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Pakistan’s Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman arrives in Kabul for talks
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Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam political party chief, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, arrived in Kabul on Sunday for talks with officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, leading a delegation of religious scholars, met with Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, deputy prime minister for political affairs.
Meanwhile, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told reporters that issues of mutual interest including economy and security will be discussed in talks with Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman.
He said that Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman is a popular politician who knows the situation of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Muttaqi expressed hope that the politician will deliver to Pakistani authorities IEA leaders’ “good intention” towards neighbors.
Earlier, The Tribune reported that an 11-member delegation, headed by the JUI-F chief and including former South Waziristan MNA Maulana Jamaluddin Mehsud, Mufti Ibrar and members of the Haqqani religious seminary, will visit Kabul at the invitation of the IEA’s supreme leader Mawlavi Hibatullah Akhundzada,
Relations between the IEA and Islamabad have been tense for the past few months. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the IEA of harboring TTP insurgents, who have been responsible for numerous attacks in the neighboring country.
The IEA however has denied these claims.
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US, Russia to meet in Saudi Arabia over Ukraine war
Earlier on Saturday Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. They agreed on regular contacts to prepare for a meeting between Putin and Trump, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.
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U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to start talks aimed at ending Moscow’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine, a U.S. lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning said on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday, said Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners, Reuters reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul told Reuters. It was not immediately clear who they would meet from Russia.
On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, McCaul said the aim of the talks was to arrange a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy “to finally bring peace and end this conflict.”
A source with knowledge of the plans confirmed the planned talks in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Russian officials. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, who took office on January 20, has repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine war. He made separate phone calls to Putin and Zelenskiy on Wednesday, leaving Washington’s European allies alarmed that they will be cut out of any peace process.
Those fears were largely confirmed on Saturday when Trump’s Ukraine envoy said Europe won’t have a seat at the table, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv, read the report.
Earlier on Saturday Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. They agreed on regular contacts to prepare for a meeting between Putin and Trump, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.
Zelenskiy said on Friday he would visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but did not say when. However, the Ukrainian leader said he had no plans to meet with U.S. or Russian officials during those visits.
Moscow controls a fifth of Ukraine and has been slowly advancing in the east for months, while Kyiv’s smaller army grapples with manpower shortages and tries to hold a chunk of territory in western Russia.
Russia has demanded Kyiv cede territory and become permanently neutral under any peace deal. Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from captured land and wants NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent attack by Moscow, Reuters reported.
The United States and Europe have given Ukraine tens of billions of dollars in military aid since the war started. Trump has said he backs Ukraine but is seeking security for U.S. funding for Kyiv.
The U.S. and Ukraine are currently negotiating a deal that could open up Ukraine’s vast natural wealth to U.S. investment. Three sources said the U.S. proposed taking ownership of 50% of Ukraine’s critical minerals. Zelenskiy said on Saturday that the draft deal did not contain the security provisions Kyiv needed.
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IEA facilitates release of 17 Afghans from some African countries’ prisons
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The head of public relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zia Ahmad Takal, said on Saturday in a statement that the efforts of the Embassy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, over the past three months have led to the release of 17 Afghan prisoners from prisons in several African countries, including Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Sudan, and Mauritania.
Takal stated these individuals were detained for various charges and have now been repatriated to Afghanistan via Ariana Afghan Airlines.
He said the process of releasing these Afghan prisoners was carried out in coordination with the Afghan Embassy in Cairo and the countries mentioned above.
Takal added that the Afghan Embassy in Cairo will continue its efforts in the future to support Afghan citizens and ensure their rights are protected.
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Muttaqi: Our actions should be such that people are encouraged towards religion
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Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi has said that regligious scholars should serve all sections of society, both in the religious and worldly spheres, and their actions should be such that people are encouraged towards religion.
Addressing students at the Jaamia Riaz-ul-Uloom in Kabul, Muttaqi also stressed the need for unity.
“You should gather everyone around you. No one should be disappointed in you. No one should be offended by you. No one should run away from you. Why should they run away? You should befriend one who runs away. Why should your friend leave you? You have knowledge. You have a system. You have seen the world. You have experience in dealing with matters. Why should he leave you?” Muttaqi said.
He also said that no one should look at another person as if he is less pious.
Muttaqi also warned that “unwarranted criticism leads to destruction.”
“If a sheep, cow or goat leaves the flock, it is eaten by wolf,” he said.
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