The Taliban have reportedly made a significant change in their diplomatic mission in Beijing. Bilal Karimi, the current deputy press secretary of the Taliban, is set to replace Seyed Muhiddin Sadat as the head of the mission. Unlike Sadat, who held the position of chargé d’affairs, Karimi is referred to as an ambassador.
This development comes after China’s diplomatic acceptance of the caretaker rulers in Afghanistan. China appointed Ambassador Zhao Sheng as its mission head in Afghanistan, becoming the first prominent nation to have a functional diplomatic mission in the country. The Taliban’s supreme head of administration, Mohammad Hassan Akhund, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign affairs minister, were present at the reception in Kabul.
The change in the Taliban’s diplomatic mission in Beijing is seen as a significant step, with the Chinese diplomatic mission in Kabul now headed by a diplomat with the status of ambassador, accredited by the head of the Taliban government. A reciprocal step on the part of Beijing, recognizing the diplomat’s ambassadorial status from the Taliban, would imply recognition. This is a noteworthy development considering the Taliban is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.
These changes are reportedly based on information from media activists of the movement and have yet to be officially confirmed.
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