Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq resigned as envoy on Wednesday.
The veteran diplomat said in a series of tweets, that “after serving close to three years as Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, I have requested the government that the time had come for me to move on and focus on my personal pursuits — family, books and agriculture/environment.”
“I deeply appreciate the hard work of many of my colleagues who spent long hours to make the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship work,” he added.
The office of the special envoy to Kabul was established in June 2020 and Sadiq took charge immediately, after having served in various diplomatic positions over the years including as Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul from late 2008 to 2014.
The post was created with the aim of Sadiq further strengthening Pakistan-Afghanistan relations and at the time of his appointment, Pakistan media reported that he was to be the focal person from Pakistan dealing with Afghan issues.
Sadiq had meanwhile played a key role in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table after former US president Donald Trump requested Pakistan’s assistance in 2018 to help jumpstart the peace process.
After months of talks, the US and the Taliban signed the Doha agreement on February 29, 2020. In fact, Sadiq’s resignation coincides with the 3rd anniversary of the signing of the agreement, which ultimately led to the chaotic withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the sudden collapse of the former government.
Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry has not yet said who Sadiq’s replacement will be.
