ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host “Troika Plus Meeting” involving China, Russian Federation, United States, and Pakistan today (Thursday) to discuss the latest situation of Afghanistan and the ways to deal with the challenges in the war-ravaged country.

According to a statement of the Foreign Office, the special representatives/envoys for Afghanistan from China, Russian Federation, United States, and Pakistan will participate in the Troika Plus meeting today [11 November 2021]. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will inaugurate the meeting.

“Pakistan attaches high importance to the Troika Plus mechanism on the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan hopes that deliberations of the Troika Plus meeting would contribute to the ongoing efforts for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan,” it added.

The Troika Plus meeting is being held a day after the acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi along with a high-level ministerial delegation arrived in Islamabad on a three-day official visit.

Afghanistan's economic turmoil becoming catastrophic: Fawad

However, it was not clear as to whether the acting foreign minister of the Taliban interim government in Afghanistan would also be part of the discussion at the Troika Plus meeting or not.

Muttaqi was received by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul RazakDawood, special representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq, and other senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs upon his arrival at the airport on his first ever visit to Pakistan since Taliban took over Kabul on August 15, 2021.

According to a statement of the Foreign Office, Muttaqi and his delegation would exchange views on Pakistan-Afghanistan relations with a particular focus inter alia on enhanced trade, facilitation of transit trade, cross-border movement, land and aviation links, people-to-people contacts, and regional connectivity.

This article was first published in Business Recorder on Nov. 11, 2021