Maldives recalls its ambassador in Pakistan over unsanctioned meeting with Kabul's envoy

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani officials said on Tuesday they were aware the Maldives government had recalled its ambassador to Pakistan after he met with the Afghan Taliban government's top diplomat in Islamabad without clearing it with his government.

The Maldives does not recognize the Taliban government which seized power in August 2021 as United States and NATO forces withdrew from the country. The Taliban has been widely isolated for human rights violations since the takeover, including bans on Afghan girls and women.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives said in a statement on Nov. 3 that the recent meeting between Mohamed Thoha, the High Commissioner of Maldives in Pakistan and Ahmad Shakib, Afghanistan’s chargé d’affaires was not “sanctioned by the Government of Maldives.”

Without elaborating, the statement said an “appropriate action" was taken against Thoha on Saturday.

It said “Maldives is guided by the practice followed by the United Nations General Assembly when questions arise about the representative character of a government. Consistent with this practice, the Maldives recognizes the Government representing Afghanistan at the United Nations as the legitimate Government of Afghanistan.”

This came days after the Afghan embassy in Islamabad said in a statement the two officials met to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and trade relations between Maldives and Central Asian Countries through Afghanistan.

It also stated that the Afghan envoy while thanking Thoha said “Afghanistan seeks constructive relations with all countries and is striving through its economy-focused policies to transform Afghanistan into a regional connectivity hub”.

The high commission of Maldives in Islamabad took down Thoha's photo from its website.