Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said the talks, hosted by Kabul, will include “comprehensive discussions” on a wide range of issues, including political, economic and regional cooperation.
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dar’s discussions at the meeting would focus on expanding trade, improving regional connectivity and strengthening joint efforts against terrorism.
The last round of the dialogue took place in May in Beijing.
The latest development comes more than a month after Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban’s government in Afghanistan. While no country, except from Russian, has offered formal recognition, the Taliban have engaged in high-level talks with many nations and established some diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Kabul on Wednesday to attend the sixth trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of China and Afghanistan, according to an official statement.
The trilateral dialogue, institutionalized in 2017, aims to promote political trust, counterterrorism coordination and economic integration.
It also helped ease tensions between Islamabad and Kabul amid a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan, with both sides agreeing to elevate diplomatic ties earlier this year in May to the ambassadorial level.
China brokered the deal in an informal meeting in Beijing to improve relations between the two neighbors, under which it was also agreed to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.
“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, has arrived in Kabul today for the 6th Trilateral Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan,” the foreign office said in a statement.
The foreign office said Dar will hold a bilateral meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss wide-ranging issues between the two countries.
He will be accompanied by the country’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, and senior foreign ministry officials.
Last month, Dar visited Kabul to sign a framework agreement for a joint feasibility study on the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project, marking a step toward boosting regional connectivity with Central Asia.
Today’s meeting will also mark Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s first visit to Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power five years ago.
The trilateral takes place as Pakistan presses ahead with a deportation drive against “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghans, launched in 2023 on security grounds.
The process has continued in phases, with Islamabad now planning to expel documented Afghan refugees after September 1, having refused to extend their stay permits.