News
June 06 , 2025
Pakistan Upgrades Diplomatic Ties with Afghanistan
By Elaine Pasquini
Washington, DC: After leading a Pakistani delegation to Kabul on April 19, 2025, Ishaq Dar, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Pakistan, posted on his X account that Pakistan-Afghanistan relations were on a “positive trajectory” and that “to maintain this momentum, 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 went on to state his confidence that “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.”
Kabul jubilantly welcomed this decision to improve relations between the longtime neighbors, stating that its representative in Islamabad would also be elevated to the rank of ambassador.
“This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan & Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan posted on its X account.
Lin Jian, spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, was quick to praise this development between the Pakistani government and the Afghan interim government to elevate their diplomatic ties to the ambassadorial level.
In a statement, Lin wrote: “We believe this will help the two countries enhance trust and cooperation and work jointly to promote peace and stability in the region. This is also an important and positive step by both sides to implement the outcomes of the informal foreign ministers’ meeting between China, Afghanistan and Pakistan in May. China stands ready to continue playing a constructive role in improving Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.”
In addition to Dar’s visit to Kabul, he also participated in a trilateral meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on May 21.
Pakistan follows in the footsteps of only China, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates in appointing an ambassador to Kabul.
Presently, the United States does not recognize the Taliban, which gained power after the US withdrew from the country in 2021, as the legitimate government of Afghanistan and has no diplomatic presence in the Islamic Emirate.
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
Back to Pakistanlink Home