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 the recent meeting was not “sanctioned by the Government of Maldives.”
