Following the recent cancellation of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to Pakistan, another senior Taliban official, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi, has now postponed his planned trip to Doha, Qatar, for undisclosed reasons.
Hanafi was scheduled to depart on August 13 for what was described as a “medical visit.” Yet, as of this morning, he was seen attending and speaking at the Taliban’s fourth anniversary ceremony in Kabul.
The UN Security Council had approved a travel ban exemption for Hanafi on August 1, clearing the way for his departure. However, Taliban authorities have not provided any explanation for the delay.
Earlier this month, Indian media reported that U.S. pressure was behind the cancellation of planned trips by the Taliban’s foreign and interior ministers, originally set for August 3. Intelligence and diplomatic sources claimed the U.S. had effectively blocked the necessary UN exemptions by playing the “red card.”
Observers now speculate that similar American pressure may be behind the postponement of Hanafi’s travel as well, signaling continued geopolitical tensions over Taliban diplomacy and its leaders’ movements abroad.
