ISLAMABAD: Asif Ali Khan Durrani, a career diplomat for 32 years, has been appointed Special Representative for Afghanistan as relations between the two neighboring countries remain strained.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Durrani in March two months after the post fell vacant when his predecessor Muhammad Sadiq resigned after serving for nearly three years. Sadiq’s resignation came after failed peace talks with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Kabul, which were originally initiated by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
After assuming office, Durrani will report directly to the Prime Minister’s Office. Durrani met Minister of State for External Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday.
Durrani’s appointment comes at a time when the expansion of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan is under discussion, which aims to connect the landlocked Central Asian region to the world through Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, when the foreign ministers of China and Afghanistan visited Islamabad for trilateral talks, the three countries sought realistic ways to revive the Afghan economy, stressing the need to generate economic activity within Afghanistan. Emphasized the importance of doing
The three sides reiterated their commitment to fully utilize Afghanistan’s potential as a hub for regional connectivity. “Reaffirming our commitment to advance trilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and to jointly extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan”.
Durrani’s appointment is also critical, as the country continues to be plagued by terrorism and has seen a sharp rise in attacks on law enforcement officials and innocent civilians, including the recent destruction of girls’ schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. included.
During a visit to Pakistan earlier this month, Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi urged Islamabad and the TTP, which is behind most of the attacks in the country, to come together for talks. sit down
Islamabad held several rounds of talks – brokered by Kabul – with the outlawed TTP but the talks broke down last year after the militant group resumed terrorist activities.
Who is Asif Durrani?
From 2005 to 2009, Durrani – a career diplomat for 32 years – served as Pakistan’s deputy chief of mission in Kabul. The former ambassador is fluent in Pashto and Dari — languages spoken throughout Afghanistan.
He has served as Ambassador of Pakistan to Iran and United Arab Emirates. Durrani previously served in various diplomatic postings including New Delhi, New York, Kabul and London.
The former ambassador was also posted as part of Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations in New York during his early diplomatic career.
Durrani was then working as a senior research fellow at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI). He belongs to a family of experienced bureaucrats and diplomats from Quetta, Balochistan.
