ISLAMABAD:Pakistan and Afghanistan decided to upgrade their diplomatic ties and in principle agreed to exchange full-time ambassadors, Beijing announced, in a major breakthrough in the bilateral relationship that remained strained since the Taliban took over Kabul nearly a four-year ago.
The landmark development was announced by the Chinese foreign ministry in a statement issued after Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted a trilateral meeting with the Pakistani and Afghan foreign ministers in Beijing.
“Afghanistan and Pakistan expressed clear willingness to elevate diplomatic relations and agreed in principle to exchange ambassadors as soon as possible,” Wang said in a statement at the end of an informal meeting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghan interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
“China welcomed this and will continue to provide assistance for the improvement of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations,” the top Chinese diplomat added.Pakistan and Afghanistan have maintained diplomatic presence in each other’s capitals but the missions were headed by charged affairs and not the full-time ambassadors.
Exchanging ambassadors means that Pakistan would move a step closer to recognising the Taliban government. China was the first country which sent a full-time ambassador to Kabul and accepted the Taliban envoy in March this year.
A senior Pakistani official said that discussions in Beijing were positive and all sides agreed to work closely to achieve common objectives.A separate statement issued by the Foreign Office did not mention the upgrade in diplomatic ties with Afghanistan.
Unlike the past, Pakistan this time decided to go along with the international community on the issue of recognition. Initially, when the Taliban took over, Pakistan was advocating engagement with the new regime and persuaded countries to recognise the government at the earliest.
However, Pakistan’s own ties with the Taliban government deteriorated within a few months of the change of government in Kabul, forcing Islamabad to change its stance. Pakistan then decided to link the recognition of the Taliban government with Kabul acting decisively against terrorist groups, including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
It is believed that China was nudging both sides from behind the scenes to resolve their issues through dialogue. The sources said that for the first time the Taliban government had shown not only willingness but initiated certain steps to rein in groups operating out of its territory.
