Islamabad Blocks JUI-F Leader’s Travel to Kabul
In recent weeks, several Pakistani religious and political figures have traveled to Kabul and met with officials of the Islamic Emirate. These visits, however, appear to have drawn disapproval from the Pakistani government.
In the latest incident, Pakistan’s immigration authorities prevented Kifayatullah, a senior leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-F), from traveling to Afghanistan at Islamabad International Airport yesterday.
According to Pakistani sources, he intended to attend a meeting in Kabul and hold talks with officials of the Islamic Emirate. However, the Pakistani government has not yet issued an official statement on the matter.
Pakistani journalist Tahir Khan said: “He stated that he planned to travel to Kabul to meet with some elders to discuss the current situation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, ways to reduce tensions in bilateral relations, and the security situation in Pakistan.”
Islamabad’s move comes despite previous criticism by JUI-F and some other religious parties in Pakistan of the country’s policies toward Afghanistan.
Political analysts believe that preventing such visits indicates Islamabad’s effort to ensure that independent contacts between religious and political parties and Afghanistan do not take place outside the formal framework of the Pakistani government.
Mu’in Gul Samkani, a political analyst, said: “The Pakistani government, particularly its military, holds influence across the country and does not allow people on either side of the Durand Line to establish independent relations.”
This comes after a former leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan recently stated that during a visit to Kabul, he met with senior officials of the Islamic Emirate, including the Prime Minister, to seek solutions to challenges between the two countries.
