ISLAMABAD: The 12-member Afghan Taliban delegation on Thursday agreed that the resumption of peace process with the United States was the only way to end the conflict in Afghanistan following its meetings with senior Pakistani officials in Islamabad, said the foreign office of Pakistan.
Diplomatic sources confirmed to Arab News that representatives of Afghan insurgent group also met Prime Minister Imran Khan during the day.
Pakistan has been playing the role of a facilitator, trying to catalyze the Afghan peace process, since last year.
Led by the Taliban co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the delegation is expected to meet US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, this week who arrived in Islamabad ahead of the Taliban Political Commission’s visit.
During a weekly news briefing, the foreign office spokesman, Dr. Mohammad Faisal, said the talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban were “highly sensitive and delicate” and the process needed to be “handled in a careful manner.”
He declined to divulge further details of the delegation’s agenda and its scheduled meetings in the country.
The US and Taliban were on the verge of signing an agreement last month, but the process collapsed after the insurgent group killed an American soldier in Afghanistan.
In an exclusive telephonic interview, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Arab News on Thursday: “It is the US side that retracted, and they should come to the agreement and sign the agreement. It is the only peaceful solution to the Afghan issue.”
Shaheen said that all regional countries “should support the Afghan people in the liberation” of their country and “ending the occupation” of their land.
“Based on our policy we would want to have good relations with our neighboring countries, for the stability of Afghanistan. We would want their role in the construction of Afghanistan,” the Taliban spokesman said.
Resumption of talks with US vital for Afghan peace, say Taliban
Resumption of talks with US vital for Afghan peace, say Taliban
- Diplomatic sources confirm representatives of Afghan insurgent group also met Prime Minister Khan
- Taliban spokesman urges all regional countries to “support the Afghan people in the liberation” of their country
US freezes visa processing for 75 countries, media reports Pakistan included
- State Department announces indefinite pause on immigrant visas starting Jan 21
- Move underscores Trump’s hard-line immigration push despite close Pakistan-US ties
ISLAMABAD: The United States will pause immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries starting Jan. 21, the State Department said on Wednesday, with Fox News and other media outlets reporting that Pakistan is among the countries affected by the indefinite suspension.
The move comes as the Trump administration presses ahead with a broad immigration crackdown, with Pakistan included among the affected countries despite strong ongoing diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Washington on economic cooperation, regional diplomacy and security matters.
Fox News, citing an internal State Department memo, said US embassies had been instructed to refuse immigrant visas under existing law while Washington reassesses screening and vetting procedures. The report said the pause would apply indefinitely and covers countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the Department of State said in a post on X.
According to Fox News and Pakistan news outlets like Dawn, the list of affected countries includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, Somalia, Brazil and Thailand, among others.
“The suspension could delay travel, study, and work plans for thousands of Pakistanis who annually seek US visas. Pakistani consulates in the US are expected to provide guidance to affected applicants in the coming days,” Dawn reported.
A State Department spokesman declined comment when Arab News reached out via email to confirm if Pakistan was on the list.
The Department has not publicly released the full list of countries or clarified which visa categories would be affected, nor has it provided a timeline for when processing could resume.
Trump has made immigration enforcement a central pillar of his agenda since returning to office last year, reviving and expanding the use of the “public charge” provision of US immigration law to restrict entry by migrants deemed likely to rely on public benefits.
During his previous term as president, Trump imposed sweeping travel restrictions on several Muslim-majority countries, a policy widely referred to as a “Muslim ban,” which was challenged in US courts before a revised version was upheld by the Supreme Court. That policy was later rescinded under the President Joe Biden administration.
The latest visa freeze marks a renewed hardening of US immigration policy, raising uncertainty for migrants from affected countries as Washington reassesses its screening and vetting procedures.
The freeze on visas comes amid an intensifying crackdown on immigration enforcement by the Trump administration. In Minneapolis last week, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good, a US citizen, during a federal operation, an incident that has drawn nationwide protests and scrutiny of ICE tactics. Family members and local officials have challenged the federal account of the shooting, even as Department of Homeland Security officials defended the agent’s actions. The case has prompted resignations by federal prosecutors and heightened debate over the conduct of immigration enforcement under the current administration.
