Pakistan envoy returns to Kabul after four months

Pakistan’s head of the diplomatic mission in Kabul on Monday returned to the Afghan capital after more than four months after he survived an assassination attempt.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed to The Express Tribune that Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, the Pakistani chargé d'affaires, has returned to Kabul. She would not provide further details.

The return of the top diplomat came just days after Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari spoke to Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Sources said the decision to send back the Pakistani acting ambassador was taken during the telephone call.

Nizamani was on a routine walk inside the sprawling embassy compound in Kabul on December 2 when shooters opened fire on him from a nearby multistory building. He escaped unhurt, but his Pakistani security guard sustained bullet injuries in the legs. Pakistan immediately evacuated the chief diplomat and demanded the Taliban enhance the security of its embassy.

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However, it was not clear at the time that it would take over four months for Pakistan to send back its envoy to Kabul. The delay was attributed to a lack of security as well as friction between the two sides on a range of issues, particularly the continued attacks by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The development came ahead of the visit of Muttaqi to Pakistan. The sources said Bilawal extended the formal invitation to his Afghan counterpart during the telephonic conversation. Though no official confirmation was available, the sources said Muttaqi is expected to travel to Islamabad in the first week of May.

This would be his second visit to Islamabad and the first since the coalition government replaced Imran Khan in April last year.

Pakistan has been pressing for decisive action against the TTP and its affiliates. The Afghan Taliban despite promises and efforts to mediate a deal between the two sides have failed to address Pakistan’s concerns.

The interim government in Kabul has come under renewed Pakistan pressure ever since the government and the establishment have come to the conclusion that they would no longer seek peace talks with the TTP.

A high-powered delegation led by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif along with the DG ISI visited Kabul in February to issue the Afghan Taliban a stern warning to tackle the TTP. The Afghan intelligence officials then travelled to Islamabad for follow-up discussions.

The upcoming visit by the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister would be seen as crucial as this would indicate if the two sides can sort out the security challenge without further hiccups.