Islamabad:
Pakistan and Afghanistan have officially raised their diplomatic commitment to the ambassador level, a movement that marks a significant step to normalize bilateral relations amid ongoing regional tensions.
The two parties decided to improve their diplomatic relationship in May when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi received his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts to negotiate an agreement.
On Friday, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shafqat Ali Khan, said that the Charge d’Affires (CDAs) in both capitals had been updated to the ambassador rank through a mutual agreement.
“Bilateral relations between the two countries are now at the ambassador level. And that process, in our opinion, is complete,” he said during his weekly news session.
He added that the Afghan envoy in Islamabad now enjoys the protocol reserved for a full -time ambassador, and “no more action is required” in this regard.
Normally, ambassadors present their credentials to the president as part of the protocol, but in the case of the Afghan ambassador, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that such formality was not needed.
Although Pakistan decided to update his ties, there is still no plan to officially recognize the Taliban government. Currently, Russia is the only country that has recognized the Taliban government.
Even when both parties formally improved their ties, Taliban energy minister alleged Friday that Pakistan never wanted to see a “strong and stable central Afghan government.”
But the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry dismissed those concerns as unfounded. Answering a question about the recent comments of the minister, Shafqat said: “The statement completely denies common sense, history and facts.” He reiterated the vision of long data of Islamabad that no country has a greater interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan that Pakistan.
On persistent security concerns along the western border, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan, Khan reiterated Pakistan’s position that the issue of cross-border terrorism remains a central concern in his conversations with the Afghan authorities.
“We have highlighted, on several occasions, that the issue of terrorism that emanates from Afghanistan is a central piece of our conversations with the Afghan government. We have been calling their attention to the fact that terrorists enjoy sanctuaries in Afghanistan,” he said.
He also underlined Islamabad’s concerns about Indian participation in destabilizing activities within Pakistan. “We have evidence about the participation of India in the Terrorism Fan in Pakistan, we have shared those with our friendly countries and we will continue to stand out,” he added.
On the possibility of the visit of the AFGHAN Foreign Minister, the spokesman said that dates had not yet been completed. “If a visit is finished, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes an ad. The two parties are still working. It would reiterate that as soon as the dates are finished, we will officially announce.”
Previously, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was scheduled to travel to Pakistan on a three -day visit on August 4, but the visit was postponed at the last minute due to a “technical problem.”
