Hong Kong (TDI): Pakistan on Friday officially confirmed that it was upgrading diplomatic relations with Afghanistan and would soon exchange ambassadors with Kabul, in a major shift in Islamabad’s policy towards Kabul.
The announcement of elevating relations was first made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week during a trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan in Beijing.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, following his second meeting with Wang Yi in just ten days, this time in Hong Kong, formally confirmed the upgrade in relations with Afghanistan through an official statement.
Dar said in a statement, “Ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are on a positive trajectory after my very productive trip to Kabul with a delegation on April 19, 2025.”
“To sustain this positive momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision to elevate our diplomatic representation in Kabul from Chargé d’Affaires to the level of Ambassador,” he added.
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“I am confident this measure would further contribute towards increased engagement, strengthen cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in economic, security, CT & trade areas and promote further exchanges between two nations,” Dar further said.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have maintained diplomatic missions in each other’s capitals, though these were led by charge’d affairs rather than full time Ambassadors.
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The decision to exchange the ambassadors signals a significant step by Islamabad toward formal recognition of the Taliban government, a move previously made by China, which became the first country appoint a full-time Ambassador to Kabul and accept the Taliban envoy in March this year.
For the first time, the Taliban interim government has shown not only readiness but initiated certain measures to rein in terrorist groups operating out of its territory.
The Taliban government recently launched a crackdown on elements supporting organizations hostile to Pakistan. Kabul in especially targeted Afghan nationals, who joined the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
