Pakistan to upgrade diplomatic ties with Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar Friday announced that Pakistan would upgrade its chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan to the level of an ambassador amid improving ties with the neighbouring country.

Taking to X, Dar said Pakistan-Afghanistan relations were on positive trajectory after his “very productive” visit to Kabul on April 19. “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,” he stated.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have embassies in each other’s capitals but they are led by charge d’affaires, not ambassadors.

China was the first country to accept an ambassador from the Taliban-run administration in Kabul though it does not formally recognise its government. Several other states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), followed.

The two nations share a porous border spanning around 2,500 kilometres with several crossing points which hold significance as a key element of regional trade and relations between the people across both sides of the fence.

The issue of terrorism remains a key issue for Pakistan which has urged Afghanistan to prevent its soil from being used by groups such as the TTP to carry out attacks inside the former’s territory. However, days earlier, a commander of the Afghan Taliban, Saeedullah Saeed, warned terrorists of Fitna al-Khwarij against fighting the Pakistan forces, conducting attacks in the name of jihad.

Earlier this month, China hosted an informal meeting between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban administration, wherein Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was decided between the two nations to upgrade their diplomatic ties.

The neighbours agreed in principle to send ambassadors to each other’s country as soon as possible, Yi said after his talks with Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and FM Dar.

Meanwhile, Pakistan joined China and other founding members in signing a convention in Hong Kong on Friday that Beijing hopes would be on a par with the International Court of Justice and bolster the city’s international credentials.

The move comes amid growing geopolitical tensions that have been exacerbated by US President Donald Trump’s global trade war and fuelled risks of a sharp worldwide economic downturn.

The mediation body aims to cement Hong Kong’s presence as a top centre to resolve disputes between countries, leader John Lee said earlier this week, adding that it’s status would be on par with the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the United Nations in The Hague.

Besides Pakistan, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Serbia were among the countries attending the signing ceremony. Representatives from 20 international bodies including the United Nations were also expected to join, public broadcaster RTHK said.

Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar signed the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) on behalf of Pakistan during a signing ceremony held in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China.

Speaking at the event, Dar praised the leadership of the People’s Republic of China for its vision and efforts in initiating and establishing IOMed.

He described the launch of the organisation as a significant step towards strengthening multilateralism and advancing global peace, stability, and development.

He emphasised the need to resolve the Kashmir dispute in line with the relevant UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories was also cited as a major challenge to peace and stability.