Oct 6, 2021: Pakistan and Iran have held extensive bilateral talks, including on the regional security situation and border security since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, a week after a Pakistani soldier was killed in cross-border firing.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kayani led his country’s delegation in talks with a team led by Pakistani Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s foreign office statement said, “During the session, the two sides reviewed entire spectrum of bilateral relations in all areas including political, economic, trade, connectivity, security, energy, education, and people-to-people exchanges,”

The visit was Kayani’s first since assuming office in the government of newly elected Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The Pakistani statement said that the regional situation, especially the developments in the disputed region of Afghanistan and Kashmir, was also discussed, which both Pakistan and India fully claim but manage separately.

“The current situation in Afghanistan demanded positive engagement of the international community, urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people, and measures to help build a sustainable economy,”

The two countries have reaffirmed that they will “work closely together” on Afghanistan in bilateral and regional forums, the statement said.

In addition, the Iranian deputy foreign minister met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad on Tuesday, the Pakistani Foreign Office said. “Afghanistan urgently needs humanitarian assistance and the international community must fully support the Afghan people at this critical juncture,” the statement said.

He stressed the importance of continued economic ties with Afghanistan to avoid economic catastrophe, which could lead to a influx of refugees and regional instability.

Both statements did not provide details of the talks on border security.

Last month one Pakistani soldier was killed and another wounded in an attack on a Pakistani border the Pakistani military said.

The Pakistan-Iran border runs about 800km southwest of Pakistan and east of Iran and has been the scene of several security incidents in recent years.

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