ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s deputy prime minister is traveling to Afghanistan on the weekend at the invitation of Kabul to discuss a range of issues, including boosting cooperation in areas of mutual interest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

Saturday’s visit by Ishaq Dar, who is also the country's foreign minister, comes despite an ongoing campaign aimed at the expulsion of Afghans living in the country illegally. It is the first such high-level visit by Dar since the Afghan Taliban seized power.

More than 80,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan since April 1 after a deadline for voluntary return of foreigners expired, according to Pakistani officials.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told a news conference that Dar’s visit is “part of our efforts to develop good, positive relations with Afghanistan”.

The announcement came hours after an Afghan delegation arrived in the capital Islamabad and met with the country's deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry.

The delegation was led the Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Nooruddin Aziz, a government statement said. “During the meeting, both sides held detailed discussions on several important matters, including transit trade and the repatriation of Afghan nationals,” it said.

The statement quoted Chaudhry as telling the Afghan delegation that Afghan refugees who had obtained U.N. refugee status would be allowed to stay at least through June.

Earlier, Chaudhry said Pakistan would welcome Afghans if they get a visa and return to Pakistan on valid documents to do business.

He said Pakistan had no plans to extend the April 30 deadline for those Afghans who had applied for resettlement in third countries, but Islamabad could give concessions on a case-by-case basis.

Thousands of Afghans have been stuck in Pakistan since U.S. President Donald Trump suspended the U.S. refugee admission program. Some Afghans have been living in Pakistan while seeking relocation to other Western countries, including the U.K.

Many Afghans fled their country after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, fearing reprisals. Some had worked with the U.S. military, international organizations, aid agencies, media outlets or human rights groups.

Thousands already have relocated to the United States, with those who worked for the U.S. military given a priority by the U.S. government.

Pakistan in October 2023 launched an ongoing crackdown on foreigners living illegally in Pakistan. Chaudhry told reporters that since then, 903,791 Afghans had been repatriated.

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