A planned visit by Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan has been postponed after the United Nations failed to grant the required travel exemption, Afghanistan International has learned.
Muttaqi was expected to lead a delegation to Pakistan on Monday for a three-day visit. However, the trip has been delayed due to the absence of a travel waiver from the UN Security Council’s 1988 Sanctions Committee, which is required for sanctioned Taliban officials to travel abroad.
According to sources in Kabul, the delay has been attributed to “technical issues.” Findings suggest that the committee has not yet included Muttaqi on the list of individuals exempted from travel restrictions for this visit.
Under UN regulations, Taliban officials subject to international sanctions cannot travel outside Afghanistan unless granted a specific exemption. These exemptions are issued on a case-by-case basis typically for official meetings, peace negotiations, or urgent medical treatment and must be approved by the sanctions committee, usually upon request from the host country.
While host countries are responsible for initiating exemption requests, it appears Pakistan either did not submit a formal request or has not received approval. Notably, Pakistan currently chairs the 1988 Sanctions Committee for the year 2025.
Muttaqi has previously been granted multiple travel waivers. In 2025 alone, he was allowed to attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation foreign ministers’ meeting in Istanbul on 18 June, the Western China International Expo in Beijing and Chengdu on 16 May, and to meet Qatari officials in Doha on 25 April. He also travelled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on 21 March, to Oman on 7 March, and to the United Arab Emirates on 26 January, all under approved exemptions.
Other Taliban officials have recently been granted similar waivers. On 1 August, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi received authorisation to travel to Qatar for medical treatment. On 11 July, Khairullah Khairkhwa was cleared to travel to Russia, and on 17 June, Hanafi again received approval to visit China.
