Afghanistan denies visas to Pak Defence Minister, ISI Chief

In a major diplomatic snub to Islamabad, Afghanistan has reportedly denied entry to Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, ISI chief Asim Malik, and two senior Pakistani generals, rejecting their visa requests not once, but three times in as many days, according to TOLOnews sources. The repeated rejections mark a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad, effectively stalling Pakistan’s latest efforts to initiate high-level talks with the Taliban regime amid escalating border tensions.
The two sides have repeatedly clashed in border regions since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, but airspace violations deep into Afghan territory would mark a significant escalation. Militancy increased in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the withdrawal of US-led troops from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 and the return of the Taliban government.
The vast majority of attacks are claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), whose campaign against Pakistan security forces has intensified this year -- set to be the deadliest in more than a decade. Violence in the border region has "plunged relations between the neighbours to an all-time low", said Maleeha Lodhi, a former senior Pakistani diplomat. The TTP is a separate but closely linked group to the Afghan Taliban, which Islamabad says operates from Afghan soil with impunity.
Meanwhile, a senior Pakistani official has denied Taliban claims that Pakistan’s defence minister, intelligence chief and two generals were denied visas to visit Kabul. The source said that no visa applications were submitted and that only a proposal for a visit had been made.