ISLAMABAD, May 30 (Alliance News): In a significant diplomatic development, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday announced that Pakistan will elevate its diplomatic representation in Afghanistan by appointing a full-fledged ambassador in Kabul, replacing the current Chargé d’Affaires.
Dar shared the update via social media platform X, stating that Pakistan-Afghanistan ties are on a “positive trajectory” following his recent visit to Kabul on April 19, which he termed “very productive.”
“I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, counter-terrorism, and trade areas, and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries,” Dar said.
Currently, both Pakistan and Afghanistan maintain embassies in each other’s capitals, but neither has had a formally appointed ambassador since the Taliban took power in Kabul.
Pakistan’s move follows similar steps by China and the United Arab Emirates, who have accepted ambassadors from the Taliban-led Afghan administration despite not officially recognizing it.
The announcement also comes on the heels of a China-brokered informal meeting between Pakistan and Afghanistan held earlier this month, during which Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed that both nations had agreed in principle to upgrade diplomatic ties and exchange ambassadors at the earliest.
The two countries share a 2,500-kilometre-long porous border that remains vital for regional trade and people-to-people contact. However, the issue of terrorism remains a major concern for Pakistan, which has repeatedly called on the Afghan government to prevent militant groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from launching cross-border attacks.
In a rare and notable development, senior Afghan Taliban commander Saeedullah Saeed recently warned anti-Pakistan militants against targeting Pakistani security forces under the pretext of Jihad, referring to such actions as “Fitna al-Khwarij.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan and China reaffirmed their commitment to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan, boosting hopes for regional connectivity and economic integration. The key outcomes of the Beijing meeting included:
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Agreement to enhance security and counter-terrorism cooperation
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Joint efforts against militant threats and external interference
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Plans to resume the trilateral China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue in Kabul
Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban government had recently escalated due to the deportation of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan. However, Foreign Minister Dar’s recent trip to Kabul helped ease the strain. In his meeting with acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, both sides agreed to maintain constructive dialogue on core bilateral concerns, including security, trade, transit, and humanitarian issues.
The upgrading of diplomatic ties is seen as a crucial step toward institutionalizing engagement with the Taliban regime and maintaining peace and stability in the region.
