ISLAMABAD – JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on Sunday met Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Maulana Abdul Kabeer in Kabul in bid to normalise the strained relations between the two neighbours.
According to his party, Fazl has arrived in the Afghan capital to hold talks on the regional situation.
“Soon after arriving in Kabul, JUI chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman held meeting with Afghan interim government’s deputy prime minister Maulana Abdul Kabeer while Afghan Foreign Minister Maulvi Ameer Khan Muttaqi, Maulvi Abdul Lateef Mansoor and others were also present in the meeting, discussing regional security situation,” JUI spokesman Aslam Ghauri said.
The JUI-F earlier said on X that Rehman was traveling with a “high-level” delegation, including party leaders Maulana Abdul Wasay, Maulana Salahuddin, Maulana Jamaluddin and Maulana Saleemuddin Shamzai.
Prior to that, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Rehman would visit Kabul for talks.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021. A surge in suicide blasts and militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan have frustrated Islamabad, which has asked Kabul to rein in the Pakistani Taliban it says are using Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban reject Pakistan’s accusations.
Ties between the two countries soured further in November when Pakistan deported thousands of Afghan migrants, saying it was taking action against “illegal immigrants” in the country, and blamed Afghan nationals for the surge in suicide attacks in Pakistan. Afghanistan condemned the move and asked Pakistan not to deport Afghan refugees.
Rehman’s political party, the Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), is known for its staunch advocacy of Islamic laws and values. The party wields considerable influence in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, while its leader enjoys close ties with the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan.
