Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani likely to be appointed Pakistani envoy in Kabul

• FM says Nizamani would be appointed ambassador after promotion.
• Pakistan will become 2nd country to have envoy in Kabul after China.
• Nizamani had survived an assassination bid last year in Afghanistan. 

ISLAMABAD: The current head of Pakistan’s mission to Afghanistan, Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani, is likely to become the ambassador in the war-torn country once he is elevated to a higher rank, reported The News on Tuesday.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani confirmed to the publication that Nizamani — who had earlier served in Washington, New Delhi, Dhaka, Berlin and Jeddah in various diplomatic capacities — would be elevated as an ambassador after his promotion and would be given the charge of Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul.

If the appointment gets the green signal from the PM Office then it would make Pakistan the second country after China that will have its ambassador in Kabul without formally recognising the Taliban administration that captured the power in August 2021 after the US-led Nato forces left the war-torn country.

The post has been vacant since Mansoor Ahmed Khan's retirement in 2022. Khan was appointed before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and served there until his retirement.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan and China have discussed about the expansion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the first instance to Afghanistan, adding that the presence of the Chinese ambassador in Kabul is a step in this direction.

It is important to note that the ties between Islamabad and Kabul have been strained since the assassination attempt on Nizamani in December of last year and a sharp increase in terror incidents in Pakistan. 

The diplomat, after the assassination attempt, remained in Pakistan and resumed his duties after five months in April 2023.

Pakistan has blamed Afghan leaders for failing to fulfil their commitment to stopping terror attacks originating from their soil and warned of taking action.

After assuming the charge, the Pakistani diplomat called on the Afghan foreign minister and “discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest”.