Afghanistan announced on Saturday that it will reciprocate Pakistan’s decision to upgrade diplomatic relations by sending an ambassador to Islamabad. The announcement came a day after Pakistan declared it would appoint an ambassador to Kabul.
In a statement issued by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said:
"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 the status of its mission in Islamabad from chargé d’affaires to ambassador. This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan and Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains."
On Friday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar announced that Islamabad would fully normalize relations with Afghanistan and dispatch an ambassador to its embassy in Kabul.
Pakistan downgraded diplomatic relations with Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, maintaining only a chargé d’affaires at its embassy. In October of that year, Islamabad also allowed the Taliban government to appoint a chargé d’affaires to run the Afghan embassy in Pakistan.
Tensions between the two countries have remained high in recent years, particularly since December 2024, following Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory and the start of mass deportations of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.
However, relations took a turn toward normalization after a trilateral meeting in Beijing last week, mediated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. During the talks, Ishaq Dar and his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, agreed to upgrade diplomatic ties.
Once Afghanistan appoints an ambassador to Islamabad, it will become the fourth country to fully normalize relations with the Taliban-led government, following China, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates—despite no formal international recognition of the Taliban-led government.
The Taliban administration has also submitted an ambassadorial candidate to Russia, which Moscow is expected to accept soon. In addition, the Taliban currently maintain chargé d’affaires at embassies in Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Turkey, with Taliban-appointed diplomats running diplomatic missions in at least ten other countries.