‘Cup of tea’ in Kabul proved costly, was a big mistake that should not be repeated: Pakistan Deputy PM Dar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated his frustration over “a cup of tea” in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, which he claims to have proved costly for Pakistan, describing it as a “big mistake” that “should not be repeated”, Tolo News reported.

Speaking during a Senate session on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Deputy PM slammed the previous Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in a veiled attack, saying that under the pretext of that “cup of tea”, Pakistan’s borders were opened to Afghanistan, a decision he described as a major mistake.

“It was a big mistake and should not be repeated,” Dar said during the session, as quoted by Tolo News.

According to Tolo News, Dar was referring to the 2021 visit of the then-Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to Afghanistan after the Taliban took over control of the country following the withdrawal of US and allied forces.

Last year, speaking at a press conference at the Pakistan High Commission in London’s Belgravia district, Dar criticised the same “three-star general who went to Kabul to have a cup of tea,” stating that, “The country is paying a price for that cup of tea in Afghanistan,” Dawn reported.

He also claimed that security incidents in Pakistan had increased after the Taliban came to power, alleging that militant groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Fitna al-Khawarij, and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were operating from Afghan soil, during the Senate session as reported by ARY News.

Dar said he had held six phone conversations with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, during which Pakistan lodged its concerns and demanded that no terrorist activities be launched from Afghan territory.

However, Muttaqi rejected the claims made by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, stating that the claims “lack accuracy”.

In a post on X, Hafiz Zia Ahmad, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the phone discussion between the two sides took place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and coordination. He added that Ishaq Dar initially indicated he was not fully briefed on the matter and would reach out again after obtaining complete information.

“The recent statements by the Pakistani Foreign Minister, in which he claimed that the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi, had contacted him six times in one day, lack accuracy and realism. In fact, the first phone contact between the two sides was aimed at mutual understanding and coordination,” Ahmad stated in his post.

Dar further expressed disappointment over the ongoing cross-border attacks but remained hopeful that upcoming talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan—scheduled to take place in Istanbul on November 6—would help advance cooperation on security issues, as reported by ARY News.

Last month, tensions between the two neighbours escalated sharply after Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghan territory, which were followed by retaliatory attacks from the Afghan side, leading to intense border clashes.

Both nations later agreed to a ceasefire during talks mediated by Qatar and Türkiye, which was later extended, with the second round of talks to be held in Istanbul on November 6, where “further modalities of the implementation will be discussed and decided,” as per a statement issued by the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs. (ANI)