The United States blocked a planned visit by Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan by refusing to approve a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) travel ban exemption, according to a report by Dawn.

According to Dawn, Muttaqi was scheduled to visit Pakistan on August 4 as part of a recent push to improve relations between Kabul and Islamabad. The engagement followed Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's earlier visit to Kabul, which had been facilitated by China.

Citing diplomatic sources, Dawn said that as the Afghan foreign minister is under international sanctions, he is barred from foreign travel without a special waiver from the UN sanctions committee. The committee, set up under UNSC Resolution 1988 (2011), oversees travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes on Taliban-linked figures.