Pakistan on Saturday recalled its special representative to Afghanistan Asif Durrani amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, media reports said.
An official notification cites that Durrani was "relieved of his responsibilities as Special Representative on Afghanistan in Management Position" on September 10, says *The Express Tribune* newspaper.
No official reason was given for the move.
However, as sources quote the report, Durrani, inducted to the post in May 2023, brought little change in the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship. The report also said Durrani had no acceptability in Kabul as he had engagements with the Taliban-led interim government that could be counted on fingers of one hand.
Other sources added that Durrani had a few tools at his disposal given the overall strategy being followed by Pakistan.
He told reporters that the powerful military was not happy with his performance, and Durrani too had grown frustrated as his policy advice was often ignored by his principals.
According to Pakistan Today, Durrani confirmed his departure via text message, even stating that he thanks the leadership for allowing him to serve Pakistan.
Establishment of Special Envoy for Afghanistan:
In June 2020, immediately after the US-Taliban Doha Accord, this position was created to interact with the Taliban and other nations who are stakeholders in Afghanistan.
Relations have lately deteriorated between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Partly because of attacks on regular terms by banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), but also because of border skirmishes quite frequently.
Since the Taliban took control of Kabul earlier this year, dashing expectations in Islamabad that a friendly government in Afghanistan would help wrangle militancy, atrocities are rising in Pakistan.
Pakistani leaders have time and again accused the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan of using havens in Afghanistan to plan and launch terrorist attacks. A fact, they claim, the Afghan Talibandeny.
Relations between the two countries have recently begun to get strained, mainly because of the TTP but also due to the frequent border skirmishes.
