Afghan Foreign Minister's planned visit to Pakistan cancelled, likely due to UNSC travel ban

A UN Security Council travel ban is widely thought to be behind the cancellation of a planned visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan, according to a media report.

Mr. Muttaqi was expected in Islamabad on August 4, continuing the recent high-level contacts initiated by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Kabul in April, a move that led to a thaw in bilateral ties, Dawn reported.

Taliban to press international community on Afghanistan sanctions

The rapprochement was brokered by China.

However, diplomatic sources said that the United States had blocked a UN Security Council exemption that would have allowed Mr. Muttaqi to travel to Pakistan, the paper said on Friday (August 8, 2025).