Taliban minister attends meeting in Pakistan despite tensions over expulsions of Afghans

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Cabinet minister from Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has attended a trade meeting in Pakistan despite tensions over the expulsion of Afghans living in the country illegally. Around 300,000 Afghans have returned home since last month, when Pakistan launched a nationwide crackdown on undocumented foreigners. The crackdown mainly affects about 1.7 million Afghans who fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country and after the Taliban takeover in 2021. The Taliban-led administration in Afghanistan has denounced the crackdown. However, this week it sent its Commerce and Industry minister to Islamabad for a meeting of ministers from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. He met separately with Pakistani officials to discuss trade issues and the expulsion of Afghans.