Taliban Foreign Minister’s Pakistan Visit Blocked By US, Sources Say

The newspaper reported that Iranian officials are seeking the list to identify individuals suspected of having ties to MI6, the United Kingdom’s foreign intelligence agency.

According to The Telegraph, the list includes the identities of more than 100 British special forces personnel and MI6 officers who had supported Afghan colleagues, as well as the names of approximately 25,000 Afghans who applied for asylum in the UK following the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan. The list was reportedly leaked in 2022 by a UK Ministry of Defence employee.

Citing a senior Iranian official, the report said a special IRGC committee has been assigned to pursue the matter and has opened discussions with the Taliban. Simultaneously, the Taliban has allegedly instructed its officers in Kabul to identify and detain individuals named on the list.

The Taliban has previously downplayed the significance of the leak, stating it already holds detailed information on former Afghan government security and military personnel.

The Telegraph also reported that an Afghan citizen named on the list who had been living in Iran was recently arrested and deported to Kabul, despite claiming that return would place him at serious risk.

Iranian authorities have not issued any public response regarding the allegations.

In response to concerns, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that it has taken appropriate measures to protect its former staff and Afghan partners. It added that inclusion on the list does not, in itself, pose a significant security threat.

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.

Tokayev made the remarks during a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who arrived in Kazakhstan on Sunday, 3 August. The two leaders participated in a signing ceremony to formalise the establishment of a UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan, based in Almaty.

According to a statement from the Kazakh presidency, Tokayev said the opening of the centre highlights the region’s increasing strategic importance and marks a significant step in Kazakhstan’s ongoing cooperation with the United Nations.

He stressed Kazakhstan’s ongoing support for the Afghan people, which includes humanitarian aid, education initiatives, trade facilitation, and food security programmes. He also noted that trade between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan has been steadily rising.

“We believe that peace and development in Afghanistan must go hand in hand. Human dignity and international law are inseparable and must guide all efforts towards lasting stability,” he added.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the new regional centre, Guterres echoed Tokayev’s remarks, stating that Afghanistan is an integral part of Central Asia’s future. He emphasised the urgency of the country’s humanitarian and economic crisis and said the Afghan people “deserve a better future.”

He added that the new centre could play a critical role in supporting sustainable development in Afghanistan, provided it prioritises universal values and the fundamental principles of human rights.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on 4 March 2025 to establish the regional centre in Almaty. The centre is tasked with coordinating development efforts, providing technical assistance, and implementing projects related to poverty reduction, healthcare, education, climate resilience, economic development, and water resource management across Central Asia and Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is our Muslim neighbour. Relations with them must improve, and all matters should be resolved through discussion,” Khan wrote in a post on the social media platform X.

Currently imprisoned, Khan also used the platform to urge Pakistanis to rise up on 5 August, describing the country’s political situation as worse than during the colonial era. He compared the planned mobilisation to the significance of Pakistan’s Independence Day on 14 August 1947.

Khan further called on Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to oppose any military operations in the province, including in the tribal areas. He warned against actions that could destabilise the region, which borders Afghanistan and has historically been affected by militancy and conflict.

In a statement issued this week, the agency said it requires $216 million in 2025 to meet the needs of returning Afghans but has so far received only 28 per cent of the required funding. As a result, UNHCR has significantly reduced its assistance in areas such as shelter, livelihoods, and cash support.

According to UNHCR, more than 2 million Afghans have returned to the country this year, either voluntarily or through forced deportations, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in a nation already reeling from economic collapse, conflict, and widespread displacement.

“The scale of returns is placing immense pressure on already overstretched resources,” the agency said, noting that nearly half of Afghanistan’s population now depends on humanitarian aid.

UNHCR also reiterated earlier warnings about the risks facing returning refugees, particularly women and girls. The agency said that many returnees have reported “disturbing accounts of restrictions, harassment, and discrimination” since arriving back in Afghanistan.

The situation remains critical as deportations continue from neighbouring countries and humanitarian actors struggle to meet basic needs in the face of persistent funding shortfalls.