Islamabad:
Pakistan and Afghanistan have officially elevated their diplomatic commitment to the ambassador’s level, a step that marks a significant step in normalizing bilateral relations in the midst of ongoing regional tensions.
The two sides decided to upgrade their diplomatic conditions in May when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his Pakistani and Afghan colleagues to mediate an appointment.
On Friday, spokesman for the Foreign Office Shafqat Ali Khan said Chargé d’Affaires (CDAs) had been upgraded to rank as ambassador through mutual agreement.
“The bilateral relations between the two countries are now at an ambassadoric level. And this process is complete in our opinion,” he said during his weekly news briefing.
He added that the Afghan envoy in Islamabad is now enjoying Protocol Reserved for a full -time ambassador, and “no additional actions are required” in this regard.
Usually ambassadors present their credentials to the president as part of the protocol, but in the Afghan ambassador’s case, the Foreign Office said no such formality was needed.
Although Pakistan decided to upgrade their ties, there is no plan yet to officially recognize the Taliban government. Currently, Russia is the only country that has recognized the Taliban government.
Even when both sides formally upgraded their ties, the Taliban Energy Minister on Friday claimed that Pakistan would never see a “strong and stable central Afghan government.”
But spokesman for the Foreign Office rejected these concerns as unfounded. In response to a question about the recent minister’s comments, Shafqat said: “The statement is completely burdened by common sense, history and facts.” He reiterated Islamabad’s many years of view that no country has a greater interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan than Pakistan.
On the sustained security concerns along the western border, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Khan Pakistan repeated that the issue of cross-border terrorism remains a central problem in his conversations with Afghan authorities.
“We have emphasized on a number of occasions that the question of terrorism derived from Afghanistan is a centerpiece of our conversations with the Afghan government. We have drawn their attention to the fact that terrorists enjoy shrines in Afghanistan,” he said.
He also emphasized Islamabad’s concern about the Indian commitment to the destabilization of activities in Pakistan. “We have evidence of India’s commitment to Fanning Terrorism in Pakistan, we have shared them with our friendly countries and will continue to highlight it,” he added.
At the possibility of the Afghan foreign minister’s visit, the spokesman said no dates have yet been completed. “If a visit is completed, the Foreign Ministry gives a message. The two pages still work. I will repeat that as soon as the dates are completed, we will officially advertise.”
Earlier, Afghan temporary 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.”
