ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Sunday agreed to continue working to establish “mutual trust” between the two nations, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement, amid recent improvement in ties between Kabul and Islamabad.
Pakistan and Afghanistan this week agreed to upgrade diplomatic relations, with Islamabad announcing it would elevate its chargé d’affaires in Kabul to ambassadorial rank. Kabul said it would reciprocate the move.
Ties between the two countries have been tense in recent years, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan’s Taliban administration of harboring militants involved in cross-border attacks, leading to a deportation drive against undocumented Afghan nationals. Kabul has criticized Pakistan’s deportation drive and denied its nationals are involved in crimes on Pakistani soil.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on the phone to discuss diplomatic relations between the two countries on Sunday. Muttaqi, according to Pakistan’s foreign office, informed Dar that Afghanistan has decided to reciprocate
Islamabad’s gesture to upgrade diplomatic relations to the ambassador level, terming it a “very positive development.”
“Both leaders also reviewed the implementation of decisions taken during DPM/FM’s visit to Kabul on 19 April 2025 and vowed to continue working together to establish mutual trust between the two brotherly nations,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry confirmed the development, saying Muttaqi described the upgradation of diplomatic missions in Kabul and Islamabad to the ambassadorial level as a “positive step.”
“Both sides expressed hope for the swift completion of the remaining stages,” it said. “The two sides underscored that elevating the level of diplomatic relations would pave the way for broader cooperation in various domains.”
Efforts to ease tensions between the two countries also gained momentum in recent months. During a trilateral meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing in May, Pakistan and Afghanistan had announced plans to exchange ambassadors.
Afghan authorities said this week Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan “in the coming days.”
The two officials also spoke about the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project. Dar spoke to his Uzbek counterpart on Saturday to discuss the UAP, including the framework agreement and its signing mechanism.
“Emphasizing the importance of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project for regional connectivity, both leaders agreed to work closely for an early finalization of the framework agreement,” the foreign office said.
The UAP railway is a trilateral initiative aimed at enhancing regional connectivity by linking Central Asia with Pakistan’s southern ports of Gwadar and Karachi through Afghanistan.
Envisioned in 2021, the project is expected to improve trade access for landlocked countries and bolster economic integration in the region.
