Cross-Border Legal Movement
On Monday, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to intensify their bilateral efforts aimed at strengthening the legal movement of individuals across their shared borders.
This commitment was made during the inaugural round of the additional secretary-level mechanism between the two countries’ foreign ministries, held in Islamabad, according to a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The talks were part of a broader set of decisions reached during the visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar to Afghanistan on April 19.
Representing Pakistan, the delegation was led by Additional Secretary for Afghanistan and West Asia, Ambassador Syed Ali Asad Gillani. The Afghan side was headed by Mufti Noor Ahmad Noor, Director General of the First Political Division at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Discussions during the meeting focused on various key issues of bilateral interest, including trade and transit cooperation, security, and regional connectivity. Both sides expressed serious concern over terrorism, recognising it as a major threat to peace and stability in the region.
Pakistan stressed the urgent need for concrete measures against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, highlighting how such groups pose risks to Pakistan’s security and obstruct overall regional development.
Trade and transit cooperation formed a significant part of the dialogue. The two countries reviewed progress on implementing several facilitative measures announced during Senator Dar’s Kabul visit, such as removing a 10% processing fee on Afghan transit trade, providing insurance guarantees, reducing cargo scanning and examination procedures, and operationalising a track and trace system.
Both sides acknowledged that enhancing regional connectivity is vital for sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity.
In this context, they underlined the strategic importance of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway project and agreed to make concerted efforts towards the early finalisation of its framework agreement.
The discussions also touched on matters related to the repatriation of Afghan nationals. Pakistan shared details of its ongoing efforts to facilitate documented travel from Afghanistan, noting that it has issued over 500,000 visas since January 2024 across various categories including medical, tourism, business, and education.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to sustained engagement aimed at addressing mutual challenges, recognising that lasting security is essential not only for regional development but also for strengthening bilateral relations. The two sides agreed to hold the next round of additional secretary-level talks at a mutually convenient time to continue advancing cooperation.
