Pakistan Blames Procedural Issues for Muttaqi’s Delayed Visit

DID Press: While many believe the UN Security Council’s travel ban was behind the cancellation of a planned visit by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of Afghan caretaker government, to Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hinted that “procedural issues” had hindered the trip.

“There are certain procedural issues we are working through,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters at the weekly media briefing when pressed about media reports on Muttaqi’s aborted trip.

Mr Muttaqi was expected in Islamabad on August 4, continuing the recent high-level contacts initiated by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Kabul earlier this year, a move that led to a thaw in ties.

The rapprochement was brokered by China.

However, the spokesperson clarified that no official dates had been confirmed for Muttaqi’s visit, so there was “no question of cancellation or postponement”.

However, diplomatic sources told Dawn that the United States had blocked a UN Security Council exemption that would have allowed Mr Muttaqi to travel to Pakistan.

As Amir Khan Muttaqi is under international sanctions, he requires special approval from the UN sanctions committee for any foreign travel.

According to the source, Washington delayed its decision until the last moment and ultimately refused to grant the waiver, scuttling the trip.

As a key player in the UN Security Council, US holds significant sway in the 1988 Sanctions Committee, which manages sanctions like travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes targeting Taliban-linked individuals and groups under UNSC Resolution 1988 (2011). It is believed the US blocked the waiver for Taliban’s FM to visit Pakistan, driven by worries about their growing ties with China.

It is reported that the reason for the United States blocking the exemption was concerns about the growing relationship between the Taliban caretaker government and China