The Pakistani prime minister’s special envoy on Afghanistan has traveled to Iran, meeting with senior Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Sadiq met with Zarif Monday for his last round of talks in Tehran after arriving in the Iranian capital at the head of a political and security delegation a day earlier.
Sadiq expressed his satisfaction with the discussions held so far, during which he outlined Islamabad’s standpoints concerning Afghanistan’s developments.
Zarif laid emphasis on the need for the establishment of peace in Afghanistan and the importance of regional cooperation towards preserving the Afghan people’s achievements.
Concerns about Daesh in Afghanistan
On Sunday, the Pakistani official met with Abbas Araqchi, an Iranian deputy foreign minister.
Sadiq underlined the effect that developments in Afghanistan have on Iran and Pakistan, urging expansion of bilateral cooperation towards the establishment of sustainable peace in the violence-wracked country.
Araqchi welcomed the Pakistani envoy’s demand for better cooperation. Iran, he said, supports the establishment of peace in Afghanistan with the aim of protecting the fundamental rights of the Afghan people and safeguarding the achievements of the past two decades in their country.
The officials, meanwhile, expressed concern over the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan and agreed to maintain consultations on matters related to the security of the entire region.
The terror group has been trying to establish a foothold in Afghanistan, especially in its eastern province of Nangarhar, amid the chaos that has plagued the Central Asian nation since the United States’ 2001 invasion.
The invasion toppled the Taliban, but the militants regrouped soon and currently have a presence in much of the country.
The Taliban cite continued US-led military presence across the country as one of the reasons for its ongoing insurgency.