A UN Security Council travel ban is widely thought to be behind the cancellation of a planned visit by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan. Muttaqi was expected in Islamabad on August 4, continuing the recent high-level contacts initiated by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Kabul in April, Dawn reported.

The rapprochement was brokered by China. However, diplomatic sources said that the United States had blocked a UN Security Council exemption that would have allowed Muttaqi to travel to Pakistan, the paper said on Friday. As the Afghan foreign minister is under international sanctions, he requires special approval from the UN sanctions committee for any foreign travel. Citing sources, the paper said that Washington delayed its decision until the last moment and ultimately refused to grant the waiver, scuttling the trip. As a key player in UN Security Council, US holds significant sway in the 1988 Sanctions Committee, which manages sanctions like travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes targeting Taliban-linked individuals and groups.