An image of the meeting between the Maldives High Commissioner Mohamed Thoha and Taliban representative Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb shared on social media, November 1, 2024.
Courtesy sidhant / X
High Commissioner met Taliban representative without approval
Government removes Thoha's name from mission website
Meeting was "not sanctioned," says Maldives Foreign Ministry
The Maldives recalled its top diplomat in Pakistan, official sources said Monday, after he had an unauthorized meeting with an Afghan envoy in Islamabad.
The Maldives Foreign ministry said the much publicized meet between the Maldives High Commissioner Mohamed Thoha and Taliban representative Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb on Friday was "not sanctioned" by the government.
"Consequently, appropriate action has been taken by the government of Maldives," the ministry statement said without giving details.
Statement by the Government of Maldives issued by it's Foreign Affairs Ministry on November 3, 2024.Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Maldives
Thoha's name has been taken down from the website of the Maldives mission in Islamabad, and an official source told AFP that he had been recalled.
Since the Taliban ousted the Western-backed administration in 2021 and imposed an austere interpretation of Islamic law, no foreign country has yet officially recognized their government.
But three years into their rule, Taliban authorities have been making diplomatic inroads.
Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and Central Asian republics have established de facto diplomatic relations with Kabul, while Western embassies in the capital have been closed for over three years.
The Maldives, the smallest Islamic republic in South Asia, does not recognize the Taliban government.
Popular
Spotlight
More from World
Comments
See what people are discussing