Latest news with #Pak-Afghan
Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Kabul to reciprocate Islamabad ties upgrade
Afghanistan has welcomed Pakistan's decision to upgrade diplomatic engagement with Kabul, saying that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) – the name the interim Taliban government uses for itself – will also reciprocate the move, according to the TOLOnews television. The IEA's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Islamabad's recent decision to elevate its diplomatic relations in Kabul from chargé d'affaires to ambassador. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will also reciprocally upgrade the level of its chargé d'affaires in Islamabad to ambassador," said Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul. "Elevating the level of diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan will pave the way for expanding cooperation between the two countries across many sectors," he added in a statement also published on the official "X" account of the ministry. The statement came a day after Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who held a second meeting with China's foreign minister within a span of 10 days in Hong Kong, announced the upgrading of diplomatic ties with Kabul. "Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with the Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025," Dar said in a statement on Friday. "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," he added. "I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, CT & trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries," he further stated. Afghan political analyst Sayed Moqaddam Amin welcomed Pakistan's decision as "another positive move." "I hope this step, considering the vital interests of both parties and by fostering good relations and friendship, will provide a solution to existing challenges and deepen the political and diplomatic relations between Kabul and Islamabad," Amin was quoted as saying by TOLOnews.
Express Tribune
19 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Afghanistan welcomes upgrade of diplomatic ties with Pakistan
Afghanistan has welcomed Pakistan's decision to upgrade diplomatic engagement with Kabul, saying that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) – the name the interim Taliban government uses for itself – will also reciprocate the move, according to the TOLOnews television. The IEA's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Islamabad's recent decision to elevate its diplomatic relations in Kabul from chargé d'affaires to ambassador. 'The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will also reciprocally upgrade the level of its chargé d'affaires in Islamabad to ambassador,' said Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul. 'Elevating the level of diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan will pave the way for expanding cooperation between the two countries across many sectors,' he added in a statement also published on the official 'X' account of the ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan welcomes the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its diplomatic mission in Kabul to that of an ambassador. In reciprocity, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will elevate the... — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Afghanistan (@MoFA_Afg) May 31, 2025 The statement came a day after Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who held a second meeting with China's foreign minister within a span of 10 days in Hong Kong, announced the upgrading of diplomatic ties with Kabul. 'Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with the Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025,' Dar said in a statement on Friday. Read More: Pakistan to restore full diplomatic ties with Afghanistan '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,' he added. 'I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, CT & trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries,' he further stated. Afghan political analyst Sayed Moqaddam Amin welcomed Pakistan's decision as 'another positive move.' 'I hope this step, considering the vital interests of both parties and by fostering good relations and friendship, will provide a solution to existing challenges and deepen the political and diplomatic relations between Kabul and Islamabad,' Amin was quoted as saying by TOLOnews.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pakistan upgrades ties with Afghanistan
Listen to article Pakistan on Friday officially confirmed that it was upgrading diplomatic ties with Afghanistan and would soon exchange ambassadors with Kabul, in a significant shift in Islamabad's policy towards Kabul. The announcement of upgrading ties was first made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week when he hosted foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan in Beijing. On Friday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who held a second meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister within a span of 10 days in Hong Kong, issued a statement, announcing the upgrading of ties with Kabul. "Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with the Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025," Dar said in a statement. "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," he added. "I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, CT & trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries," he further said. Pakistan and Afghanistan have maintained diplomatic presence in each other's capitals but the missions were headed by charged affairs and not the full time Ambassadors. Exchanging ambassadors means that Pakistan would move a step closer to recognizing the Taliban government. China was the first country which sent a full time Ambassador to Kabul and accepted the Taliban envoy in March this year. A senior Pakistani official defended the move, saying apart from China, other regional countries including Turkey and Russia were also contemplating appointing their full time Ambassadors to Kabul. It is believed that China was nudging both sides from behind the scenes to resolve their issues through dialogue. Sources said for the first time the Taliban government had shown not only willingness but initiated certain steps to rein in groups operating out of its territory. The Taliban government recently launched a crackdown on elements supporting groups inimical to Pakistan. Kabul in particularly targeted Afghan citizens, who joined the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). 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 unauthorized jihad, particularly in Pakistan, saying such actions were against Shariah and the orders of the Islamic Emirate's leadership. 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 emphasized 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. The issue of terrorism was one of the key talking points during the three-way talks in Beijing. The Chinese official read out said Wang Yi stressed the need for combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He also called for joint cooperation to combat the menace of terrorism and cautioned against external interference. In the wake of recent escalation in tensions into a military conflict between India and Pakistan, New Delhi was trying to reach out to the Taliban government. Breaking from its decades-old policy, Indian External Affairs Minister S J Shankar spoke to the Afghan interim Foreign Minister. The move seems to be part of India's recalibration in order to put pressure on Pakistan. But the meeting in Beijing appears to have preempted that move. The Chinese foreign ministry statement suggested that there was great incentive for the Taliban government to work closely with Beijing and Islamabad.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Pakistan finally appoints ambassador to Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: In a major surprising move amid lingering tense ties between the two neighbours, Government of Pakistan has decided to upgrade the level of its chargé d'affaires in Kabul to the level of ambassador. The important decision has been announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, after having broad-based consultations with the prime minister and other relevant stakeholders. Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025, he remarked. '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. I am confident this step would further contribute towards enhanced engagement, deepen Pak-Afghan cooperation in economic, security, CT and trade areas and promote further exchanges between two fraternal countries,' the Foreign Office statement quoting DPM as saying on Friday. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Pakistan announces to upgrade ties with Afghanistan, appoint Ambassador to Kabul
Pakistan on 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.
