A UN Security Council travel ban is extensively thought to be behind the cancellation of a planned visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan, in accordance to a media report.
Mr. Muttaqi was anticipated in Islamabad on August 4, persevering with the current high-level contacts initiated by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Kabul in April, a transfer that led to a thaw in bilateral ties, Dawn reported.
The rapprochement was brokered by China.
However, diplomatic sources mentioned that the United States had blocked a UN Security Council exemption that will have allowed Mr. Muttaqi to travel to Pakistan, the paper mentioned on Friday (August 8, 2025).
As the Afghan Foreign Minister is below worldwide sanctions, he requires particular approval from the UN sanctions committee for any overseas travel.
Citing sources, the paper mentioned that Washington delayed its choice till the final second and in the end refused to grant the waiver, scuttling the journey.
As a key participant within the UN Security Council, the U.S. holds vital sway within the 1988 Sanctions Committee, which manages sanctions like travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes focusing on Taliban-linked people and teams below UNSC Resolution 1988 (2011).
It is believed the U.S. blocked the waiver for Taliban’s FM to visit Pakistan, pushed by worries about their rising ties with China, the paper mentioned.
The U.S. has usually clashed with China and Russia on the committee, who advocate for extra lenient exemptions, creating tensions inside the committee’s efforts to promote stability in Afghanistan.
When requested whether or not Washington had blocked Mr. Muttaqi’s visit to Pakistan at a current briefing, a State Department spokesperson merely responded with: “We do not comment on rumours.”
The Foreign Office on Friday hinted that “procedural issues” had hindered the journey.
“There are certain procedural issues we are working through,” Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan mentioned when requested by journalists about media experiences on Mr. Muttaqi’s aborted journey.
The spokesperson additionally clarified that no official dates had been confirmed for the Afghan Foreign Minister’s visit, so there was “no question of cancellation or postponement”.
Mr. Khan mentioned that each Kabul and Islamabad are working to handle the matter and added, “Once these procedural matters are resolved, we look forward to welcoming the Afghan Foreign Minister to Pakistan.”
