- FM says Nizamani will be appointed ambassador after promotion.
- After China, Pakistan will become the second country to have an ambassador in Kabul.
- Nizamani survived an assassination attempt in Afghanistan last year.
ISLAMABAD: Ubaid ur Rehman Nizamani, the current chief of Pakistan’s mission in Afghanistan, is likely to become ambassador to the war-torn country after being promoted to a higher post, reported news on Tuesday.
Acting Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani confirmed to the publication that Nizamani – who had previously served in various diplomatic capacities in Washington, New Delhi, Dhaka, Berlin and Jeddah – would be promoted to ambassadorship following his promotion and He will be given charge of Pakistan. Ambassador in Kabul.
If the appointment gets the go-ahead from the PM’s office, it will make Pakistan the second country after China to keep its ambassador in Kabul without formally recognizing the Taliban administration, which ousted US-led NATO forces in August 2021. After seizing power. War torn country.
The post is vacant after the retirement of Mansoor Ahmed Khan in 2022. Khan was appointed before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and served there until his retirement.
The foreign minister said Pakistan and China have first discussed the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, adding that the presence of the Chinese ambassador in Kabul is a step in this direction.
It is important to note that relations between Islamabad and Kabul have been strained since the assassination attempt on Nizamni in December last year and the sharp rise in terrorist incidents in Pakistan.
The diplomat remained in Pakistan after the assassination attempt and resumed his duties five months later in April 2023.
Pakistan has blamed Afghan leaders for failing to fulfill their commitment to stop terrorist attacks from its soil and warned of action.
After assuming charge, the Pakistani diplomat met the Afghan Foreign Minister and “discussed a number of issues of mutual interest”.
