Islamabad: Pakistan Friday announced to upgrade its diplomatic ties with Afghanistan and appoint an ambassador to the country, a major indicator of improvement in ties between the two neighbours.
Pakistan had tacitly applauded the capture of Kabul by Taliban in 2021 with the hope that the regime would address its security concerns but it proved otherwise and cross-border attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants increased manifolds.
The ties plummeted as a result and Islamabad began accusing Kabul of providing sanctuaries to the TTP rebels while demanding action against them.
The breakthrough in ties came through the trilateral mechanism of talks involving Afghanistan, China and Pakistan when the foreign ministers of the three nations met this month in Beijing.
It is believed that China played a key role in sorting out differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the two agreed to upgrade diplomatic presence in their capitals.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made the formal announcement, saying that the Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after his visit to Kabul on April 19.
“To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul to the level of Ambassador,” Dar said in a statement on X.
“I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, counterterrorism and trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries.”
In a related development, Afghan interim foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to travel to Islamabad soon on a first visit in two years, highlighting the growing high-level exchanges between the two neighbours in recent weeks, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
“He will visit Pakistan soon. Dates are being worked out,” said a diplomatic source on Thursday. The source said the Afghan side has already accepted the invitation.
According to a source, this will not be a daylong trip but a three-day trip where a whole gamut of relations would be discussed.
In April, Foreign Minister Dar travelled to Kabul in a first visit by any Pakistani minister in three years. The visit helped ease tensions between the two countries.
The sources said Muttaqi’s visit was part of efforts to increase high-level exchanges. The two sides drew up a roadmap envisaging a series of visits by officials and ministers from both sides when a Pakistani delegation led by its special envoy Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq visited Kabul in the third week of March.
The Afghan Taliban government’s recent actions against groups posing a threat to Pakistan played a key role in the increased interaction between the two sides.
In another major sign suggesting a shift in its approach was a statement by senior Afghan Taliban commander Saeedullah Saeed who, on Wednesday, warned militant factions against unauthorised jihad, particularly in Pakistan.
Speaking at a police passing-out ceremony, Saeed said that fighting in any country, including Pakistan, without the explicit command of the Amir is not permissible.
“Joining various groups to wage jihad abroad does not make one a true mujahid,” he stated. “Only the Amir of the state has the authority to declare jihad — not individuals or groups.”
Saeed emphasised that those carrying out attacks independently or moving between regions to conduct operations cannot be classified as legitimate fighters under Islamic law.
“Jihad based on personal ego or group loyalty is considered ‘fasad’ (corruption), not legitimate resistance,” he added.
He further stated that the Afghan leadership prohibited unauthorised entry into Pakistan, and any such act constitutes disobedience.
“Groups attacking in the name of jihad are defying both Shariah and the authority of the Afghan Emirate,” he said.
His public statement is seen as a result of recent efforts both by Pakistan and China urging the Kabul administration to change its approach towards these groups.
Sources said Pakistan would continue to encourage the Taliban government to carry out such measures. In return for these steps, Pakistan and China are willing to support Kabul both economically and diplomatically.
PTI
