ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will issue multiple-entry visas valid for one year to Afghan drivers and transporters to facilitate cross-border trade, its embassy in Kabul announced on Friday, amid an ongoing campaign to deport undocumented Afghan nationals.

Afghan drivers play a vital role in bilateral and transit trade between the two countries.

Under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), Afghan transporters are allowed to move goods between Pakistani ports and their countries major cities like Kandahar, Jalalabad and Kabul.

The Pakistan government’s decision to issue visas comes at a time when the government has repatriated 979,486 Afghan nationals since launching a deportation drive in 2023 over security concerns.

“The Government of Pakistan has decided to issue multiple-entry visas of one-year validity to Afghan drivers and transporters,” the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul said in a post on X. “The visa fee for this category would be $100.”

The new visa policy is likely to benefit ongoing trade flows, especially as Pakistan remains a primary corridor for Afghanistan’s access to international markets.

Afghan trucks are permitted to transport goods under the APTTA framework, including third-country imports destined for Afghanistan.

Applicants for the new visa will be required to upload a photograph, a scanned copy of their passport, Afghanistan’s national identity document, a valid temporary admission document, an employment letter from a registered transport company or an authority letter from a transport operator and a valid driving license.

Pakistan’s deportation policy in 2023 followed a spike in militant attacks, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan.

Islamabad has previously linked such attacks and other crimes to Afghan nationals, who make up the largest migrant population in the country, though Kabul has denied any nexus between the two.

Despite tensions, both countries have recently taken steps to restore diplomatic ties at the ambassadorial level.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday to discuss football’s growing popularity in Pakistan and the potential that the sport has in the country, the minister said in a statement. 

Football in Pakistan has long existed in the shadow of cricket. However, the sport has been growing popular over the years, particularly among the youth, who form a passionate fan base in urban centers.

Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), met Infantino in Washington on Friday. 

“Had an excellent meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino,” Naqvi said in a post on X following his meeting with him during a trip to the US.

“We discussed the immense potential of sports in Pakistan — especially the growing popularity of football following cricket,” he added. 

Pakistan and FIFA share a complex yet evolving relationship, shaped by ongoing efforts to develop football infrastructure and promote the sport in the country.

Pakistan has faced repeated administrative challenges and international suspensions, largely due to government interference in football affairs.

In 2019, FIFA appointed a normalization committee to restore order within the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and facilitate the holding of democratic elections.

FIFA suspended the PFF earlier in February after its elected congress rejected the constitutional amendments proposed by the global football body but the ban was reversed in March after PFF accepted the proposed constitutional amendments.

However, Pakistan remains committed to elevating its football profile despite recurring setbacks such as suspensions.

The Pakistan national football team last played a match in March, losing 2–0 to Syria in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier.

The next FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.