ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will witness back-to-back visits by senior US officials starting tomorrow, the foreign office spokesperson confirmed on Sunday, characterizing the upcoming interactions between Pakistani and American officials as part of dialogue over a range of issues.
The US State Department announced the visit of Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration Julieta Valls Noyes to Pakistan on Friday, saying she would be in Islamabad for a series of meetings from December 4 to 7.
The statement described the purpose of her visit to discuss “shared efforts to protect vulnerable individuals and accelerate safe, efficient relocation and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US immigration pipeline.”
Pakistan has launched a deportation drive against “illegal immigrants” for security reasons, affecting the lives of a number of Afghans who left their homeland after the Taliban swept back to power after US and NATO troops pulled out of the war-ravaged country in August 2020.
The US government urged the Pakistani authorities not to repatriate people who actively collaborated with its forces in Afghanistan, fearing reprisals from the Taliban administration.
“Pakistan and the United States continue to hold consultations on a range of issues,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. “To advance these consultations, exchange of visits also takes place.”
She identified three US officials, noting that Noyes’ visit would be followed by Special US Representative on Afghanistan Tom West, scheduled to be in Pakistan from December 7 to 9, and then by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst, who plans to visit Islamabad from December 9 to 12.
“These visits are part of ongoing dialogue with the US on a range of issues including, but not limited to, the situation in Afghanistan,” Baloch added.
Pakistan’s arrest and deportation of Afghan nationals has been criticized by a number of international rights organizations amid harassment complaints by registered refugees.
The US has also asked Pakistan to fulfil its obligations toward asylum seekers from Afghanistan seeking international protection after entering its territory.
US official visits to Pakistan from Monday to bolster bilateral talks, address Afghan deportation issue
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US official visits to Pakistan from Monday to bolster bilateral talks, address Afghan deportation issue
- Foreign office says the high-level visits are part of an ongoing dialogue over a range of issues
- US has urged Pakistan not to repatriate Afghan nationals who actively collaborated with its forces
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia discuss regional situation, upcoming engagements
- Ishaq Dar and Prince Faisal bin Farhan agree to stay in contact amid Middle East tensions
- The two officials speak ahead of Trump’s Feb. 19 Board of Peace meeting in Washington, DC
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed regional developments and upcoming international engagements with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in a phone call on Saturday, according to the foreign office in Islamabad.
The conversation took place against the backdrop of deepening strategic ties between Islamabad and Riyadh. In September last year, the two countries signed a bilateral defense agreement that formalized decades of military cooperation and included a commitment to view aggression against one as an attack on both countries.
“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation today with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The two leaders discussed the evolving regional situation, forthcoming international engagements, and agreed to remain in close contact,” it added.
The two officials spoke at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the conflict in Gaza far from resolution amid ongoing ceasefire violations by Israel.
The region has also been on edge as the United States pursues nuclear negotiations with Iran, prompting regional states to call for diplomacy rather than new military flare-ups.
Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are participants in US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which is scheduled to meet on Feb. 19 in Washington.
Islamabad and Riyadh have consistently coordinated positions over regional and global issues.
The foreign ministry did not provide further details of the discussion.
