Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to fully normalize diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors, marking a significant thaw in ties after months of strain. The development followed a meeting on Wednesday in China between the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China.
The informal trilateral session was convened by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who invited Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar for talks aimed at reducing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.
“China welcomes this and is willing to continue providing assistance for the improvement of Afghanistan–Pakistan relations,” said Wang Yi, confirming both countries’ commitment to upgrading diplomatic ties.
Muttaqi traveled to China at Wang’s invitation, with Dar joining briefly to help mediate the dialogue. Despite a troubled bilateral history, the two sides reportedly agreed to restore full diplomatic representation by appointing ambassadors to each other’s capitals.
The announcement comes just days after Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a phone call with Muttaqi — the first direct contact between the two since the Taliban took power in 2021. That conversation followed recent military actions between India and Pakistan, leading some analysts to interpret China’s trilateral effort as a strategic move to preempt greater Indian influence in Afghanistan.
Pakistan was the first country to engage diplomatically with the Taliban administration in 2021, allowing an Afghan chargé d'affaires to operate in Islamabad. China followed suit by officially accepting a Taliban-appointed ambassador in 2023 — the first country to do so.
However, relations between Kabul and Islamabad have remained fraught with border clashes and even airstrikes. Pakistan accuses the Afghan government of harboring militants from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, a charge the Taliban leadership has consistently denied. The relationship has further deteriorated amid Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees, which has drawn strong condemnation from Kabul.
Despite the hostility, Wednesday’s agreement is being viewed as a diplomatic breakthrough, with all sides reportedly expressing willingness to launch a formal trilateral dialogue process, hosted in Kabul at the earliest opportunity.