Pakistani PM, German foreign minister vow to work closely for regional peace

Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan (center) meets German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (fifth right) in Islamabad, Pakistan, on August 31, 2021. (Photo courtesy: PID)
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Updated 31 August 2021
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Pakistani PM, German foreign minister vow to work closely for regional peace

  • German FM in Islamabad, says still remains to be seen if Taliban form inclusive government in Afghanistan
  • Pakistani foreign minister warns against economic collapse and political vacuum in the war-torn country 

ISLAMABAD: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, with both leaders vowing to work closely for regional peace.
Maas said on Tuesday it was important for his country that all Afghan factions were represented in the future political setup in Kabul, adding it remained to be seen if the Taliban would allow an "inclusive" administration.
The German official issued the statement during a joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.
The German leader's visit to the region comes a day after US and NATO forces completed their pullout from Afghanistan after fighting a war that lasted about two decades.
“The Prime Minister underscored that both Pakistan and Germany should work closely for the promotion of shared interests relating to regional peace and stability,” PM Khan said in a tweet.

During a presser with Qureshi, Maas said the Taliban were “going to present a new government and it remains to be seen if this government is as inclusive as we demanded it to be.”
“It is important for us that all Afghans, Afghans who do not support the Taliban, are represented by this government, and it remains to be seen if the Taliban will take this into account,” the German FM said. 
He thanked Pakistan for playing a constructive role in the evacuation of German citizens along with vulnerable Afghan nationals from the war-torn country in the last two weeks.
“Pakistan as a neighbor of Afghanistan is fully experiencing the effect of this crisis,” Maas acknowledged, adding that Germany had already provided one million euros in humanitarian assistance and pledged further 500 million euros for projects and measures in Afghanistan’s neighboring countries for projects like preventing extremism.
He said that some German nationals were still stuck in Afghanistan and his government was closely coordinating with Pakistan for their safe evacuation.
“We are also preparing in close cooperation with others to organize charter flights as soon as Kabul airport is operable again,” he said. “We need procedures to bring these people to Germany if they are eligible for admission.”
Maas said the Taliban had promised to allow civilians to leave Afghanistan on flights from Kabul airport, but it was yet to be seen if their “commitments are reliable.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister, meanwhile, urged the international community not to abandon Afghanistan and allow humanitarian assistance to ensure peace and stability in the war-ravaged country.
“This is a pivotal moment in Afghanistan’s history,” he said. “The international community must remain engaged … Don’t let the economic collapse in Afghanistan take place as vacuum and instability is in nobody’s interest,” he added.
Germany was one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the European Union, Qureshi said while urging his German counterpart to enhance bilateral trade and develop economic linkages in areas like renewable energy, housing and electric vehicles.
Qureshi also said Pakistan had helped evacuate over 10,000 people safely from Afghanistan between August 15 and August 30.
He also warned the international community against the role of "spoilers" in Afghanistan and said a governance vacuum was not favorable, hoping the Taliban would announce the formation of a government in the next few days.
Maas also met Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday. 
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation including latest developments in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed,” the army’s media wing said. “The German dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region and thanked the COAS [army chief] for assistance rendered by Pakistan during evacuations from Kabul.”


Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity

Updated 15 January 2026
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Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity

  • The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip was announced on January 14
  • Muslim nations call for consolidation of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Thursday welcomed the formation of a temporary Palestinian technocratic body to administer Gaza, stressing that it must manage daily civilian affairs while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the ongoing peace efforts.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said the newly announced National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip would play a central role during the second phase of a broader peace plan aimed at ending the war and paving the way for Palestinian self-governance.

“The Ministers emphasize the importance of the National Committee commencing its duties in managing the day-to-day affairs of the people of Gaza, while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring the unity of Gaza, and rejecting any attempts to divide it,” the statement said.

The committee, announced on Jan. 14, is a temporary transitional body established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and is to operate in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, the ministers said.

The statement said the move forms part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, which the ministers said they supported, praising Trump’s efforts to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and prevent the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

The top leaders of all eight Muslim countries attended a meeting with Trump in New York last September, shortly before he unveiled the Gaza peace plan.

The ministers also called for the consolidation of the ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza, early recovery and reconstruction and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to administer the territory, leading to a just and sustainable peace based on UN resolutions and a two-state solution on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.