[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s diplomatic mission chief in Kabul returned to the Afghan capital on Monday, more than four months after surviving an assassination attempt.
The Pakistani chargé d’affaires, Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, has returned to Kabul, according to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch. She refused to provide any additional information.
The top diplomat’s return comes just days after Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. According to sources, the decision to recall Pakistan’s acting ambassador was made during the phone call.
On December 2, Nizamani was taking a routine walk through the sprawling embassy compound in Kabul when shooters opened fire from a nearby multistory building. He escaped unharmed, but his Pakistani security guard was shot in the legs. Pakistan immediately evacuated its top diplomat and demanded that the Taliban beef up security at its embassy.
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However, it was not clear at the time that Pakistan would take more than four months to return its envoy to Kabul. The delay was attributed to a lack of security as well as friction between the two sides over a variety of issues, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)’s ongoing attacks.
The development occurred ahead of Muttaqi’s visit to Pakistan. According to the sources, Bilawal extended the formal invitation to his Afghan counterpart over the phone. Despite the lack of official confirmation, Muttaqi is expected to visit Islamabad in the first week of May, according to sources.
This would be his second trip to Islamabad, and the first since the coalition government took over from Imran Khan in April of last year.
Pakistan has been pressuring the TTP and its affiliates to take decisive action. Despite promises and efforts to mediate a deal between the two sides, the Afghan Taliban has failed to address Pakistan’s concerns.
Since the government and the establishment decided not to pursue peace talks with the TTP, the interim government in Kabul has come under renewed pressure from Pakistan.
In February, a high-level delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and the Director General of the ISI visited Kabul to issue a stern warning to the Afghan Taliban to combat the TTP. Following that, Afghan intelligence officials travelled to Islamabad for additional discussions.
The upcoming visit by the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister will be watched closely to see if the two sides can resolve the security issue without further hiccups.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
