Pakistan Backs UN Special Envoy Appointment For Afghanistan, Reports Pak Media

Pakistani Newspaper, The Express Tribune, quoted sources and reported that the country supports the appointment of a UN special envoy for Afghanistan at the Doha meeting.

A source said that Pakistan does not consider itself obliged to defend the positions of the Taliban.

The two-day Doha meeting for Afghanistan has been initiated with the participation of the UN Secretary-General and special representatives of more than 20 countries to find a solution for the critical situation in Afghanistan and the world's interaction with the Taliban.

Asif Durrani, Pakistan's special envoy for Afghanistan affairs, led the Pakistani delegation in Doha.

The Express Tribune newspaper wrote that despite previous concerns of Pakistan regarding the appointment of a UN special envoy, now the country backs the proposal.

Islamabad has said that the UN special envoy should be a "Muslim, experienced diplomat, and from the region".

Pakistan's change of position regarding the UN special envoy is a direct contradiction to the Taliban's position, which has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the appointment of the Secretary-General's special representative.

Quoting a Pakistani official, this newspaper wrote that “this was because Islamabad was no longer advocating the Taliban’s case.”

If officially confirmed, it seems that Pakistan’s support for the appointment of a special representative reflects the country’s continued dissatisfaction with the Afghan Taliban for supporting the militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has claimed responsibility for violent attacks on Pakistani military forces in the past year.