Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar flew to Afghanistan’s capital Kabul for bilateral talks on security issues and economic cooperation with the Taliban. Khar is the first minister from the Shehbaz Sharif government to visit Afghanistan.

The visit comes at a time of heightened security concerns in areas bordering Afghanistan after the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) said on Monday it would no longer abide by a months-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government. The Afghan Taliban have been facilitating peace talks between local militants and Pakistan authorities since late last year. Pakistan says TTP operates from Afghan soil — something that the Afghan Taliban deny.

A statement released by the Foreign Office of Pakistan quoted spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch as saying: “Bilateral relations, including cooperation in the areas of education, trade and investment, regional connectivity, people-to-people contacts, and matters related to regional security will be discussed.”

“As a friend and neighbour, Pakistan will reaffirm its abiding solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, in particular through its efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis and to create real opportunities for the economic prosperity of Afghan men, women, and children,” the statement read.

“Both sides have also agreed to take positive and productive steps for a solution to the problems,” Afghan deputy foreign affairs spokesperson Hafiz Zia Takal said in a statement posted through his Twitter account.

A statement from Afghanistan's foreign ministry said Muttaqi had also brought up accelerating trade and transit and facilities for travellers between the two countries as well as the release of Afghan prisoners in Pakistan.

Pakistan this month reopened a major Afghan border crossing that was shut for trade and transit after security forces from the two sides had clashed.

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