Pakistan announced on Friday that it will send an ambassador to Afghanistan, marking a significant step toward full normalization of relations with the Taliban-led government.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohmmad Ishaq Dar said, “Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on a positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with the Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025. 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.”
The announcement follows a recent informal trilateral meeting in Beijing, where Dar met with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi. The talks, mediated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, concluded with both countries agreeing to upgrade diplomatic representation to the ambassadorial level—effectively normalizing relations.
Pakistan had withdrawn its ambassador following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Since then, the embassy in Kabul has been overseen by a chargé d'affaires. In October 2021, the Taliban appointed their own chargé d'affaires to lead the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, though full ambassadorial exchanges had not resumed until now.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained tense since 2021. Points of friction have included Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees, repeated border skirmishes, and Islamabad’s accusations that Afghanistan has provided safe haven to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. These tensions culminated in Pakistani airstrikes on December 25, 2024, targeting what it claimed were militant camps inside Afghan territory.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry responded on Saturday welcoming Pakistans announcement and affirming that Kabul will reciprocate and send an ambassador to Islamabad as well in the future as was agreed to in Beijing in last week.
Simultaneously, Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to visit Pakistan in the near future for a reported three-day visit aimed at further improving bilateral ties.