Afghanistan envoy yet to be appointed

Amid escalating security concerns, Islamabad shows reluctance in appointing envoy

ISLAMABAD:

The government has yet to appoint a new special envoy for Afghanistan after Ambassador (retd) Asif Durrani was removed from the position over apparent differences with other stakeholders almost six weeks ago.

There is no indication if the government is keen to appoint Durrani's successor at a time when relations with Afghanistan remain at their lowest point.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune that the authorities' reluctance to appoint a new envoy for Afghanistan reflects Pakistan's strategy to avoid extensive engagement with the Taliban government due to its ongoing support for the banned TTP.

The government's hesitation in appointing a new special envoy stems from the ineffectiveness of the role, given the minimal diplomatic engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Moreover, officials at the Foreign Office believe they can manage Afghan affairs without needing a retired diplomat in the position.

While regional countries and stakeholders in Afghanistan typically appoint special envoys to address concerns and coordinate with international actors, Pakistan took a surprising step by removing its special envoy, Ambassador Asif Durrani, on September 10 amid rising tensions with Kabul. No official explanation was provided for the decision.

Durrani had replaced Ambassador (retd) Muhammad Sadiq as special envoy on Afghanistan in May 2023. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan during his stint as a troubleshooter only went from bad to worse.

Some people familiar with the development told The Express Tribune that Ambassador Durrani failed to make any impact on the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship. Durrani, according to them, had no acceptability in Kabul as he only had a handful of engagements with the Taliban government since he was given the responsibility.

Relations with Afghanistan have become a challenge since the return of the Taliban in August 2021.

There were hopes that ties between the two countries would improve under the new regime given Pakistan's historic ties with the Taliban.

But others say Durrani had few tools at his disposal given the overall strategy being followed by Pakistan.

However, to the contrary, things have only gotten worse as the number of terrorist attacks have only gone up in recent times. Pakistan has blamed the TTP hideouts across the border as the main source of trouble in its backyard. It has repeatedly urged the Taliban government to tackle the threat. However, the Kabul administration is reluctant to act against the TTP and its affiliates.

The Afghan Taliban have been urging Pakistan to find a political solution to the TTP problem. Pakistan, initially, did talk to the TTP at the request of the Afghan Taliban.

However, those efforts were futile as the TTP used the negotiations to regroup. After the change of command in the Army in November 2022, Pakistan stopped talking to the TTP and decided in principle that there would be no negotiations with terrorist groups.