ISLAMABAD: The chief of Pakistan’s top military spy agency, the ISI, on Saturday hosted a key security meeting of intelligence heads of regional countries, including China, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistani media outlets widely reported on Sunday.
Though there was no official confirmation of the meeting by the Pakistani foreign office or military, an intelligence source confirmed the session to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper and said it was attended by the intelligence heads from Russia, China, Iran and a number of Central Asian states.
“The hosting of the meeting by Pakistan reflects our sincerity for peace in the region and Afghanistan,” the source told Dawn.
Geo News said the participants of the meeting, which was hosted by Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, the Director-General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, “exchanged views on the security situation in Afghanistan, a few days after the Taliban announced an interim government to fill the political void.”
The Express Tribune newspaper said the ISI chief met his counterparts from Russia, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The latest meeting follows Hameed’s recent visit to Afghanistan, where he met with the Afghan leadership in Kabul.
William J. Burns, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), also visited Pakistan on Thursday this week and met with army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The CIA director appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, including its help in evacuation efforts, regional stability and peace.
Earlier this week, Pakistan hosted a virtual meeting of foreign ministers from China, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to discuss recent developments in Afghanistan and provide an opportunity to all regional stakeholders “to work together” for Afghanistan’s peace and stability, the foreign office said.
During the meeting on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi emphasized the importance of proceeding with a “realistic approach” on Afghanistan.
“Well-being of the Afghan people must remain the focus, as they had suffered enormously due to prolonged conflict and instability for more than forty years,” he said.
Qureshi also drew attention to the humanitarian crisis in the country and urged the international community to help prevent an economic meltdown in Afghanistan.
The Taliban retook control of the country in August as US and foreign troops withdrew after 20 years of conflict following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The legitimacy of the government in the eyes of international donors and investors will be crucial for the economy as the country battles drought and the ravages of a conflict that killed an estimated 240,000 Afghans.
Humanitarian organizations have warned of impending catastrophe and the economy — reliant for years on many millions of dollars of foreign aid — is close to collapse.
On Thursday, the United Nations Development Programme warned that Afghanistan was on the brink of “universal poverty” as early as 2022.
In its response to the UNDP report, the Taliban urged the global community to continue providing aid and humanitarian support to its population of 38 million, telling Arab News that the group was working to tackle poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan.
Pakistan hosts meeting of regional intelligence chiefs to discuss Afghanistan — media
https://arab.news/49x4a
Pakistan hosts meeting of regional intelligence chiefs to discuss Afghanistan — media
- DG ISI meets counterparts from Russia, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in Islamabad
- “Meeting by Pakistan reflects our sincerity for peace in region and Afghanistan,” intelligence source says
Pakistan says defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated brotherly ties to ‘new heights’
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed strategic defense pact last year pledging aggression against one will be treated as attack on both
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form vital pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan’s defense pact with Saudi Arabia elevated its brotherly ties with the Kingdom to “new heights,” stressing that close ties with Arab and Islamic nations form a key pillar of Islamabad’s foreign policy.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement on Sept. 17 last year, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both, enhancing joint deterrence and formalizing decades of military and security cooperation.
Both nations agreed in October 2025 to launch an economic cooperation framework to strengthen trade and investment ties.
“In the Middle East, our landmark Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement with Saudi Arabia has elevated our brotherly ties to new heights,” Dar said while speaking at the Pakistan Governance Forum 2026 event in Islamabad.
The Pakistani deputy prime minister was speaking on the topic “Navigating International Relations Amidst Changing Geo-Politics.”
Dar noted that Pakistan has reinforced partnerships with other Middle Eastern nations such as the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Egypt and Bahrain. He said these partnerships have yielded “concrete agreements” in investment, agriculture, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
“Our enduring bonds with Islamic and Arab nations form a vital pillar of our foreign policy, and we will continue to expand our partnerships across Asia, Latin America, and Africa,” he said.
Dar pointed out that the presidents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have undertaken visits to Pakistan in recent months, reflecting Central Asian nations’ desire to boost cooperation with Islamabad.
On South Asia, the Pakistani deputy PM said Pakistan has successfully transformed its fraternal ties with Bangladesh into “a substantive partnership.”
“Similarly, the trilateral mechanism involving China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has been launched with a view to expanding and deepening regional cooperation and synergy,” the Pakistani minister said.
He said Islamabad has strengthened its “all-weather” partnership with China via the second phase of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agreement and “unwavering support” from both sides for each other’s core interests.
Dar said Pakistan had also reinvigorated its partnership with the US, advancing cooperation in trade, technology, investment, and regional stability.
“This calibrated approach has enhanced our ability to navigate complexity with skill and confidence, ensuring that our national interests are served without compromising our core foreign policy principles,” he said.
