Pakistan allows Taliban-appointed diplomats to take charge of Afghan missions in Islamabad

Pakistan discreetly approved the 'diplomats' which are appointed by the Taliban to take charge of the Afghan embassy to Pakistan and consulate institutions throughout the nation, according to a media report published on October 30. Despite the fact that Pakistan does not accept the Taliban as the official government in Afghanistan, yet, the selected diplomats were granted visas by the country. 

According to the Dawn news publication, Sardar Muhammad Shokaib has started to work as the First Secretary of the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, whereas Hafiz Mohibullah, Mullah Ghulam Rasool, as well as Mullah Muhammad Abbas have already been posted to the Afghan consulates in Peshawar, Quetta, and Karachi. Furthermore, Sardar Muhammad Shokaib would be the Charge d'Affaires of Afghanistan in Islamabad.  

Since the month of July, when the former government's final envoy, Najibullah Alikhil, resigned amid controversy over the reported kidnapping of his daughter Silsila Alikhil, the Afghan embassy in Islamabad was without an ambassador.  

Furthermore, the identity of Shokaib was not revealed, however, as a Voice of America report, he is an ethnic Pashtun located from Zabul Province who has worked in the Information and Cultural Department in southern Kandahar and was linked to a Taliban magazine publication. Additionally, He was detained in Pakistan and afterwards stayed in Peshawar for several years after allegedly working as a Taliban spokesperson under the name Qari Yousaf Ahmadi. 

Pakistan's remarks on the appointment of the new 'Diplomats'

Asim Iftikhar, a spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Office, attempted to downplay the new appointments by claiming that they were an "administrative matter," as per PTI. He went on to explain that these appointments are intended to enable the embassy to operate its activities, mainly consular operations as there are several issues to deal with when millions of Afghans who fled from the war-torn nation to Pakistan are residing. He even added that they have to deal with visa issues of these refugees. 

Pakistan has been attempting to persuade the international community to engage diplomatically with the Taliban since they took control of Afghanistan on August 15. However, the world leaders are dubious about the Taliban-led administration. 

Pakistan provided Humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

Meanwhile, during the recent months of instability, Pakistan has already sent vital humanitarian relief to Afghanistan in the form of food and medicines. In October, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had vowed to deliver $280 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to support the new Taliban-led administration in overcoming the country's dire humanitarian situation. According to Sputnik, Islamabad's other attempts to bolster the Taliban administration include resuming flights with Afghanistan and increasing bilateral trade. 

(Image: AP/ Representative Image)