ISLAMABAD: Following Pakistan’s decision to appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan, the interim Taliban government has said that they will elevate the status of its mission in Islamabad from chargé d’affaires to ambassador.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Islamabad has designated Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul, Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, as ambassador.
“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 wrote on the social media site X.
Following the decision, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed Islamabad’s move and described it as a positive step toward strengthening bilateral ties.
“This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan & Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,” the ministry said in a statement.
The diplomatic source indicated the Taliban administration was also likely to reciprocate the move by upgrading its top envoy in Islamabad, Mawlawi Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb, to ambassadorial level.
The development came after Beijing facilitated the understanding on upgrading diplomatic relations during a trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China earlier this month.
Pakistan and Afghanistan had so far maintained a chargé d’affaires-level diplomatic presence in each other’s capitals since the Taliban takeover in 2021.
A chargé d’affaires is a temporary posting in the absence of a full-time ambassador.
