Taliban government to follow Pakistanโs move to designate ambassador to Kabul as tensions between the two nations ease.
Afghanistan has welcomed an upgrade in its diplomatic ties with Pakistan, signalling an easing of tensions between the South Asian neighbours.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said the charge dโaffaires stationed in the Afghan capital, Kabul, would be elevated to the rank of ambassador, with Afghanistanโs Taliban government later announcing its representative in Pakistanโs capital, Islamabad, would also be upgraded.
A charge dโaffaires serves as an embassyโs chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador.
โThis elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan [and] Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,โ the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on Saturday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan welcomes the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its diplomatic mission in Kabul to that of an ambassador.
In reciprocity, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will elevate theโฆ pic.twitter.com/ZY1S5TexAR
โ Ministry of Foreign Affairs โ Afghanistan (@MoFA_Afg) May 31, 2025
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan โin the coming daysโ, the ministry spokesman, Zia Ahmad Takal, said.
Only a handful of countries โ including China โ have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors since their return to power in 2021, with no country yet formally recognising the administration.
Pakistan is the fourth country to designate an ambassador to Kabul, after China, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. Russia last month said it would also accredit a Taliban government ambassador, days after removing the groupโs โterroristโ designation.
For the past few months, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been rocky over security concerns and a campaign by Islamabad to expel tens of thousands of Afghan refugees.
Islamabad says armed groups which launch attacks inside Pakistan use Afghan soil. Kabul denies the allegation, saying such violence is Pakistanโs domestic problem to handle.
However, Foreign Minister Dar on Friday said relations between the two nations have improved since he visited Kabul last month. Last week, he also met Muttaqi and their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during a trilateral meeting in Beijing.
Following that meeting, China said it will โcontinue to assist with improving Afghanistan-Pakistan tiesโ.
