Pakistan’s Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman arrives in Kabul for talks

Pakistan’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam political party chief, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, arrived in Kabul on Sunday for talks with officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, leading a delegation of religious scholars, met with Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, deputy prime minister for political affairs.

Meanwhile, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told reporters that issues of mutual interest including economy and security will be discussed in talks with Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman.

He said that Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman is a popular politician who knows the situation of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Muttaqi expressed hope that the politician will deliver to Pakistani authorities IEA leaders’ “good intention” towards neighbors.

Earlier, The Tribune reported that an 11-member delegation, headed by the JUI-F chief and including former South Waziristan MNA Maulana Jamaluddin Mehsud, Mufti Ibrar and members of the Haqqani religious seminary, will visit Kabul at the invitation of the IEA’s supreme leader Mawlavi Hibatullah Akhundzada,

Relations between the IEA and Islamabad have been tense for the past few months. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the IEA of harboring TTP insurgents, who have been responsible for numerous attacks in the neighboring country.

The IEA however has denied these claims.