Pakistan Upgrades Ties With Afghanistan Days After China's Taliban Outreach
New Delhi:
Days after a China-convened meeting that pushed for greater Pakistan-Afghanistan ties, Islamabad has made a significant announcement - that it will be sending an Ambassador to Kabul soon. This is the first time since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 that Islamabad has decided to upgrade its ties with its western neighbour.
The announcement was made on Friday by Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar, who met his Chinese counterpart and the Taliban's acting foreign minister last week in Beijing. Diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently at a charge d'affaires-level - a step below that of an Ambassador.
Besides last week's ministerial-level meeting organised by Beijing, Pakistan's foreign minister had traveled to Kabul with a Pakistani delegation last month to hold delegation-level talks to further bilateral ties.
'POSITIVE TRAJECTORY'
Praising the "positive trajectory" between Islamabad and Kabul ever since last month's delegation-level talks, Mr Dar said it is time to upgrade ties with the Taliban. Announcing the decision to send an Ambassador, he added that "I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement and exchanges between two fraternal countries."
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025. To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé…
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) May 30, 2025
Pakistan however, has not named the person who will be sent to Kabul as Ambassador. The Taliban too, has not responded to Islamabad's gesture yet, though it also has its charge d'affaires based in Islamabad.
CHINA'S MOVES IN AFGHANISTAN
China has made it a priority to settle differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan and push for Beijing's greater influence in south Asia. This could be seen last week. Besides the meeting where all three foreign minister's were present, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held individual closed-door talks with Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Though China was the first country to accept an Ambassador from the Taliban-run administration in Kabul, Beijing says it officially hasn't formalised ties with Kabul. However, Beijing has swung into action after India's outreach to the Taliban administration on May 15 - when foreign minister S Jaishankar held ministerial-level talks with Kabul for the first time since 2021.
Beijing has also announced that after last week's meeting with the Taliban minister, Afghanistan has come on board the so-called "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK. In addition to this, Beijing said that the informal talks it organised between the Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban administration has led to the two countries to upgrade relations.
TRADING CHARGES
Ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained strained since December 2024, when nearly 50 people were killed in Afghanistan's Paktika province after Pakistan's air force bombed the region. Islamabad claims that those who launch attacks inside Pakistan use Afghan soil to do so. Kabul rejects this, saying such attacks emanate from within Pakistan, which is plagued with terrorists which are its own creation. Handling terrorism is Pakistan's domestic problem, Kabul has said.
Afghanistan's Taliban administration has also expressed concern over the manner in which Pakistan was deporting tens of thousands of refugees.
UNOFFICIALLY OFFICIAL
No country has formally recognised the Taliban administration since it took control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces. Nationals globally have called for the Taliban to change course on women's rights.
Pakistan now becomes the fourth country after China, UAE, and Uzbekistan to designate an Ambassador to Kabul. Although these governments maintain that they have not formally recognised the Taliban, diplomats and experts say that having an Ambassador officially present their credentials represents a major step towards recognition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Government mulls doubling safeguard duty on steel from 12% to 24%
Government mulls doubling safeguard duty on steel from 12% to 24% NEW DELHI: The government is evaluating the possibility of increasing the safeguard duty on steel to as much as 24%, from the current 12%, amid concerns that Chinese goods may enter the market and hurt Indian steelmakers. "We have received complaints of Chinese players trying to blunt the impact of the safeguard action by circumventing it. We are mulling over various options," a senior government official told TOI. In late April, the government had notified a provisional safeguard duty of 12% for 200 days, and a detailed investigation will be required before a higher duty is imposed. With Chinese goods facing levies and other actions in several markets, especially the US, there are widespread fears of trade diversion with India seen as one of the markets where these goods could be dumped or sold at subsidised prices. India, the world's second-largest crude steel producer, was also a net importer of finished steel for the second consecutive year in 2024-25. Imports are estimated to have neared the 10 million tonne mark. Small players have, however, been complaining about the adverse impact of the safeguard action as they have to deal with higher cost due to a price hike by domestic manufacturers after the safeguard action. The government will seek to strike a balance between the two sides, sources said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Spent 15% of time nixing fake news during Op Sindoor: CDS Anil Chauhan
File photo: CDS Anil Chauhan NEW DELHI: Almost 15% of the operational time during Operation Sindoor was spent countering fake narratives and disinformation, CDS Gen Anil Chauhan said Saturday, describing the four-day hostilities with Pakistan as a "non-contact and multi-domain" conflict involving both kinetic and non-kinetic elements that "exemplifies the future of war". "During the crisis, India retained full operational clarity and autonomy, regardless of broader geopolitical currents," the CDS said during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore as well as in interviews on its sidelines. India did not detect "any unusual activity" on the "operational or tactical depth" along the 3,488km Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China during this time, although Islamabad is closely allied with Beijing, he added. Moreover, while Pakistan may have leveraged Chinese commercial satellite imagery, the CDS said there is "no proof of real-time targeting support" provided by Beijing during Operation Sindoor. This came in the backdrop of there being no signs of de-escalation and de-induction of troops between the Indian and Chinese armies along the LAC as yet after disengagement at the two remaining face-off sites at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh last Oct. Noting that almost 80% of the equipment procured by Pakistan over the last few years has been from China, the CDS said some kind of support and maintenance from OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) would certainly have been provided during the conflict. "India, by contrast, relied on indigenous systems like Akash, achieving success through effective system networking, integrating both domestic and foreign radars into a cohesive defence structure," Gen Chauhan said. Politically, the CDS said, India has drawn a new redline against terrorism and proxy war emanating from Pakistan, and "hopefully our adversary will learn lessons" from Operation Sindoor. While cross-border hostilities have ceased with effect from 5 pm on May 10, the Indian government had made it clear it would respond "precisely and decisively" should there be any further terror attacks with a Pakistani imprint. "So that has its own dynamics as far as the armed forces are concerned. It will require us to be prepared 24/7," he said. On the massive disinformation campaign, the CDS underlined the need for a dedicated information warfare vertical. India's strategy laid stress on fact-based communication, even at the cost of slower responses. Initially, two women officers served as spokespersons, while the senior military leadership was engaged in operations. Only after May 10, Army, IAF and Navy DGMOs briefed the media, he said. Gen Chauhan also said that cyber operations played a limited role during the conflict. While there were some denial-of-service attacks, India's air-gapped military systems remained secure. While public platforms faced minor disruptions, operational systems were unaffected, he said.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Prashant Kishor slams Modi govt's ‘ceasefire' with Pakistan: 'Can't achieve anything by distributing sindoor boxes'
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government's decision to agree to a cessation of hostilities with Pakistan after four days of military action post Operation Sindoor last month. The political consultant-turned-politician suggested by halting action India may have been a missed opportunity for the Indian Army to push its advantage further. Kishor said, going by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's statement, Pakistan wanted the the cessation, indicating that neighboring country was under pressure and fearful of defeat. "I'm thinking, if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire, as our Foreign Minister is saying, that means our army was doing a good job, we were defeating Pakistan. It must have been out of fear that Pakistan wanted a ceasefire. So if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire, why did we agree to it? The Army should have let it go on for two more days," Kishor said during a press conference in East Champaran on Saturday. Kishor priased Jaishankar calling him 'very educated and sensible.' "Regarding the issue of the ceasefire, our country's EAM Jaishankar is a very educated and sensible person. I have great respect for him. I read his statement where he said the ceasefire was done at Pakistan's initiative," he added. India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, on 7 May in response to the22 April Pahalgam terror attackthat killed 26 people, mostly tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attackIndian military baseson 8, 9 and 10 May. The Pakistani attempts were strongly responded to by the Indian side by inflicting heavy damages to a number of key Pakistani military installations including air bases, air defence systems, command and control centres and radar sites. The two nations, however, agreed on an understanding to halt military action on 10 May. Kishor said the situation on the ground suggested that India's military was in control. "That's exactly what our army personnel are saying, what the citizens of this country are saying, that during the fight, we had them on the back foot, sirens were going off, people were hiding, Pakistan was on the defensive, begging for a ceasefire." Kishor was referring to External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar's comments in which he had said that it was the militaries of the two nations that negotiated directly and resolved the conflict through agreement and understanding for a cessation of fire and military action. 'Then why did you halt the action? It should have continued for a few more days. And if you did go for a ceasefire, why mislead the public? It's clear that what he's saying is wrong… You can't achieve anything by simply distributing boxes of sindoor (vermillion),' he said Kishor also challenged claims made by foreign leaders about who led peace efforts. "Although, Trump said something else, that he did it and that he deserve da Nobel Peace Prize, from brekenring peace. But why should we believe what Trump said? We will believe our own Foreign Minister," Kishor said On May 23, days after United States President Donald trump claimed that he played a role in settling the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated that it was the militaries of the two nations that negotiated directly. You can't achieve anything by simply distributing boxes of sindoor. Kishor's statement comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly election to be held in October-November this year wherein the NDA, which consists of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will be once again looking forward to returning to power. In contrast, the INDIA Bloc will be giving competition to the incumbent Nitish Kumar government. Kishor's party Jan Suraaj is contesting first Bihar assembly election this year.
