Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi praised the Afghan Taliban on Wednesday (22 September) for engaging numerous ethnic representatives in Afghanistan, urging the international community not to forsake the country at this critical point.
The world community has warned that it will assess the Taliban based on its actions, and that recognition of a Taliban-led government would be connected to how women and minorities are treated.
The Foreign Minister while addressing the Foreign Press Association virtually on the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) said “As per my information, the government in Afghanistan is expanding and other ethnicities are also being included in it.”
Furthermore, he added “If this report is true then they are moving towards collectivism and inclusivity, which is the right direction. The international community is talking about a comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan. The international community wants to make sure that terrorist groups have no place in Afghanistan. At the same time, the Taliban have also announced that they will not allow the Afghan territory to be used against any country. We expect the Taliban to live up to their promises responsibly.”
Foreign Minister stated that the US made the correct decision to remove its forces after achieving their objectives, as Washington’s job in Afghanistan has been completed. According to Qureshi, all neighbors of Afghanistan, like Pakistan want to establish peace in the country. He added that if the Taliban government acts responsibly that it will also be in their own interest.
According to Qureshi, the Taliban’s declarations of an end to the war, respect for human rights, and amnesty are hopeful, and as a result, the international world should not abandon Afghans at this important time.
In addition, he said that the Afghan women can be seen protesting on the streets which is evident from videos emerging on social media. He said that the fact women are protesting also symbolizes change because 20 years ago this would not have been possible.
The foreign minister welcomed the allocation of $1.2 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in Geneva, saying that unfreezing Afghans’ blocked assets will help bring the country out of a humanitarian crisis.
He further stated that Pakistan has been housing more than three million Afghan refugees without the assistance of the international community for the past four decades. He cautioned the international community that if the situation in Afghanistan worsens, the risk of a refugee influx will rise.
According to Qureshi, Pakistan gave unrestricted assistance for the safe evacuation of diplomatic employees and civilians from many countries from Kabul, but Pakistan’s constructive actions were not recognized.
The foreign minister further stated that India wishes to create chaos in Pakistan. He said, “India utilized Afghan territory against us, and we presented evidence to the world.”
Lastly, Qureshi said “We want peace and stability in the region. But, in response to our desire for peace, India has taken unilateral steps in Kashmir on August 5, 2019 to aggravate the situation.”
