UNITED NATIONS: UN Security Council committee agreed to allow Taliban administration’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to travel to Pakistan from Afghanistan next week to meet with foreign ministers of Pakistan and China, diplomats said.

Muttaqi has long been subjected to travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo under Security Council sanctions. According to letter to 15-member Security Council Taliban sanctions committee, Pakistan’s UN mission requested an exemption for Muttaqi was to travel between May 6-9 “for meeting with foreign ministers of Pakistan and China.”

It did not say what ministers would discuss. It said Pakistan would cover all costs associated with Muttaqi’s trip. Chinese and Pakistani officials have both said in past that they would welcome Taliban-led Afghanistan into multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure project, part of Belt and Road Initiative.

Afghanistan sits as key geographical trade and transit route between South and Central Asia and has billions of dollars of untapped mineral resources. Security Council committee allowed Muttaqi to travel to Uzbekistan last month for meeting of foreign ministers of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to discuss urgent peace, security and stability matters.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began two day meeting in Doha with special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries that aims “To achieve common understanding within international community on how to engage with Taliban,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Dujarric said closed-door meeting would discuss key issues key issues, such as human rights in particular women’s and girls’ rights inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking.

Published in The Daily National Courier, May, 03 2023

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