During a four-day visit to Islamabad this week, the Taliban’s actingcommerce minister, Nooruddin Azizi, engaged in discussions with Pakistaniauthorities. The talks centered around the repatriation of assets belongingto expelled Afghans, addressing challenges in Afghanistan’s stagnantbanking sector transactions simultaneously.
This visit by Azizi marked a significant development, representing thefirst public appearance of a senior Taliban official in Islamabad sincePakistan declared its policy to deport thousands of undocumented Afghansand other foreign citizens after November 1.
The decision to expel individuals was framed as a response to the perceivedreluctance of the Taliban-led administration to take action againstmilitants using Afghanistan as a base for attacks in Pakistan.
This diplomatic exchange unfolded just a week after the announcement ofPakistan’s expulsion plan. In response, the Taliban asserted that securityconcerns were within the domestic purview of Islamabad and urged Pakistanto halt deportations.
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In an interview with Reuters on Thursday night, Azizi shared insights intothe negotiations. He emphasized that the primary focus was on trade-relatedmatters, characterizing the discussions as “friendly.”
Pakistani officials raised counter-terrorism concerns, to which Azizireiterated the Taliban’s commitment that Afghan territory would not beutilized for hostile activities against other nations.