Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday held a telephone conversation with acting Afghan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and discussed a range of issues of mutual interest, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

During the conversation, the foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan.

The development comes weeks after a high-ranking Pakistani delegation led by Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif arrived in Kabul to meet with officials of the Afghan interim government.

The delegation’s visit came at a time when Pakistan is witnessing a spike in terrorism incidents, including one in the Police Lines in Peshawar and one in the Karachi Police Office.

Militant attacks – mostly targeting security forces – have been on the rise again since the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul in August 2021 and a shaky months-long ceasefire between the TTP and Islamabad ended in November last year.