Senior Pakistani envoy to travel to Afghanistan for bilateral talks with Taliban leaders

A senior Pakistani envoy will travel to Afghanistan for bilateral talks with Taliban leaders today amid growing allegations Afghan-based fugitive militants have stepped up cross-border terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Asif Durrani, Islamabad's newly appointed special representative on Afghanistan, will hold meetings in Kabul, focusing on mutual trade and economic and security cooperation.  

Mr. Durrani said that Pakistan's trade with and through landlocked Afghanistan had increased since the Taliban reclaimed control of the country two years ago.  According to official data, bilateral trade currently stands at more than 2 billion dollars. 

Durrani's visit



coincides with a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan, particularly in districts adjacent to the country's nearly 2,600-kilometer Afghan border. The violence has killed more than 400 people this year, mostly security forces, with the Pakistani military losing 12 soldiers in a single day on 12th July. 

The ruling Taliban government also snubbed to Pakistan on Doha Agreement, which has accused the regime in neighboring Afghanistan of facilitating terrorists operating on its soil. The Taliban said  Afghanistan had signed the deal with the US, not Pakistan, and denied the use of its territory for terrorist attacks against other nations.