ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Chargé D’Affaires in Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani on Wednesday resumed charge five months after he was attacked by Daesh in Kabul. The banned militant outfit had later claimed responsibility and Pakistan Foreign Office confirmed that Nizamani had been the target. However, the Pakistani envoy survived the assassination attempt resulting in a five-month break in duties. The development comes as Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is set to visit Pakistan in May after his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s telephonic call assuring him of a “stable Afghanistan.” Nizamani also called on Muttaqi and “discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest.” He also presented him with Quranic calligraphy by renowned Pakistani artist Asghar Ali.
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Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balki said, “FM Muttaqi called the release of the majority of Afghans from Karachi prisons a positive step, calling for the remaining to be freed before the arrival of Eidul Fitr. He also encouraged Nizamani to further increase transparency in the visa issuance process.” He added: “Nizamani also expressed hope that relations between the two countries will improve with his return, adding that the Pakistani Embassy will work together with MoFA Afghanistan on a mechanism to facilitate visas.” Nizamani was on a routine walk inside the sprawling embassy compound in Kabul on December 2 when shooters opened fire on him from a nearby multistory building. He escaped unhurt, but his Pakistani security guard was hit in the legs by bullets. Pakistan immediately evacuated the chief diplomat and demanded the Taliban enhance security of its embassy.
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The Islamic State group, in a statement, claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying its regional affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan, assaulted “the apostate Pakistani ambassador and his guards.” The incident strained otherwise friendly ties between the Taliban administration and Pakistan. Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan share a nearly 2,600-kilometer border. Bilateral trade ties have increased since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan in August 2021 as the United States-led NATO troops withdrew after 20 years of the Afghan war. Islamabad and the world at large do not formally recognise the Taliban government, citing human rights concerns, particularly restrictions placed on Afghan women’s access to work and education. Pakistani authorities have, in recent months, released and repatriated more than 2,000 Afghan inmates, including women and children.
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Nearly 300,000 people arrived in Pakistan after the Taliban takeover 20 months ago, fleeing worsening economic and humanitarian conditions in strife-torn, impoverished Afghanistan. Many left the country fearing Taliban reprisals for their association with US and Western troops. Pakistani officials estimate that only about 100,000 asylum seekers entered the country on valid visas. They have joined several million Afghans living in Pakistan as refugees and economic migrants after having fled decades of Afghan conflicts and poverty. Several countries, including Pakistan, China, Russia, Turkey, and Iran, have kept their embassies in Kabul open after the Taliban seized power 20 months ago. But the United States and other Western nations moved their diplomatic missions out of Afghanistan to Qatar.