'Don't worry, everything will be okay': ISI chief during Kabul visit

Published September 4, 2021
ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed  pictured during his visit to Kabul on Saturday. — Photo by author
ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed pictured during his visit to Kabul on Saturday. — Photo by author

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed said on Saturday that "everything will be okay" in Afghanistan as he arrived in Kabul on what sources said was day-long trip related to the security of the region.

In a video posted on Twitter by Channel 4 News, the ISI chief can be seen alongside Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan at a hotel in Kabul.

"What do you hope is going to happen now in Afghanistan," a reporter asked Gen Faiz. "We are working for peace and stability in Afghanistan," said a member of Hameed's entourage.

"Don't worry, everything will be okay," the ISI chief told the reporter with a smile.

According to sources, Gen Faiz will hold a meeting with the Taliban during his visit and converse about the issue of pending requests from countries and international organisations for the repatriation of their people through Pakistan.

He is also expected to discuss with Afghan leaders border management in connection to the movement of Afghans who cross over on a daily basis as routine.

Sources said the discussion on the overall security issue — to ensure that spoilers and terrorist organisations do not take advantage of the situation — will also take place with the Taliban.

Gen Faiz is also expected to meet the Pakistani ambassador and his team on issues of repatriation and transit through Pakistan and the situation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had on Aug 30 affirmed that Pakistan's borders were secure despite the challenges the country faces and that the armed forces were "prepared to meet any situation".

He had made the comment during a briefing given to members of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, the Senate Standing Committee on Defence, and the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence during their visit to the General Headquarters (GHQ).

During the briefing, Gen Bajwa had said the armed forces, with the support of the nation, have "achieved unprecedented successes" in the fight against terrorism and in bringing normalcy to Pakistan.

The chief of army staff also underscored the importance of restoring peace in war-torn Afghanistan for sustainable development of the South Asian region.

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