Afghan FM’s Pak go to blocked by US over UN journey ban waiver: Experiences

Based on Daybreak, Muttaqi was scheduled to go to Pakistan on August 4 as a part of a latest push to enhance relations between Kabul and Islamabad. The engagement adopted Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and International Minister Ishaq Dar’s earlier go to to Kabul, which had been facilitated by China.

Citing diplomatic sources, Daybreak mentioned that because the Afghan international minister is below worldwide sanctions, he’s barred from international journey and not using a particular waiver from the UN sanctions committee. The committee, arrange below UNSC Decision 1988 (2011), oversees journey bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes on Taliban-linked figures.

The Daybreak report acknowledged that Washington delayed its choice till the final second earlier than in the end refusing to grant the waiver, successfully scuttling the journey.

Daybreak famous that the US choice is believed to have been influenced by issues over the Taliban authorities’s rising closeness with China.

When requested at a latest briefing whether or not the US had blocked Muttaqi’s journey, the State Division mentioned, “We don’t touch upon rumours,” Daybreak reported.

Pakistan’s International Workplace, nevertheless, didn’t straight affirm the US position. At a weekly media briefing, International Workplace spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan advised reporters there have been “sure procedural points” being labored out and maintained that no official dates had been confirmed for Muttaqi’s go to. As quoted by Daybreak, he added, “As soon as these procedural issues are resolved, we look ahead to welcoming the Afghan international minister to Pakistan.”

The Daybreak report additionally highlighted that the US has usually clashed with China and Russia within the UNSC sanctions committee, with Beijing and Moscow supporting extra lenient journey exemptions for Taliban officers.