Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
KABUL – Pakistan and Afghanistan have resumed high-level talks amid escalating tensions, with delegations from both nations meeting in Kabul today for the 7th session of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), officials confirmed.
Leading Pakistan’s delegation is Mohammad Sadiq, Special Representative for Afghanistan, alongside senior military and intelligence officials. Afghanistan is being represented by Deputy Defence Minister Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, a prominent Taliban leader.
The dialogue follows heightened friction marked by Afghan refugee deportations, deadly border skirmishes, and Pakistan’s accusations that militants, including members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are operating from Afghan territory—an allegation the Taliban firmly deny.
“The JCC meeting is being held after a long gap,” said Sadiq’s office, confirming his arrival in Kabul this morning.
Tensions peaked last month after a standoff at the Torkham crossing led to a 27-day closure. A joint jirga had negotiated a ceasefire and temporary halt to construction of disputed border posts. Those outcomes are on the JCC agenda, sources say.
The Afghan Taliban, meanwhile, accuse Daesh fighters of infiltrating Afghanistan from Pakistan—claims Islamabad has dismissed.
Also in Kabul today, Afghan Commerce Minister Noor Uddin Azizi and his team are set to travel to Pakistan for parallel trade talks. Their discussions will focus on reducing tariffs, revising transit agreements, and easing cross-border trade.
The last JCC session was held in Islamabad in January.
