Pakistan will appoint a new ambassador to Afghanistan, the first since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021, marking an upgrade in diplomatic relations, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.
The move marks a step toward improving relations between the two neighbours after a period of strained ties.
Currently, Pakistan and Afghanistan’s top envoy in each other’s country is a charge d’affaires, a lower level than ambassador. Pakistan has not yet said who will be nominated to the upgraded post.
Announcing the decision to upgrade diplomatic representation, Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said bilateral relations had been on a positive trajectory since he visited Kabul with a Pakistani delegation last month.
“I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement,” he said on X.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry and Taliban’s charge d’affaires in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China Intervenes
Pakistan’s decision to appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan follows a trilateral meeting in Beijing earlier this month, where China played a mediating role in facilitating dialogue between Islamabad and the Taliban-led government.
China said afterwards that the two countries planned to upgrade their diplomatic ties.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have had a strained relationship since the Taliban administration took power after the withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO forces.
Islamabad says that Islamist terrorists who launch attacks inside Pakistan use Afghan soil. Kabul denies this, saying such militancy is Pakistan’s domestic problem to handle.
No country has formally recognised the Taliban administration since it took power, with foreign powers calling for it to change course on women’s rights.
Pakistan becomes the fourth country after China, UAE and Uzbekistan to designate an ambassador to Kabul.
Although those governments say they have not formally recognised the Taliban’s government, diplomats and experts say that having an ambassador officially present their credentials represents a step towards recognition.
(With inputs from Reuters)
