Qureshi urges int'l community for 'positive engagement' with Taliban govt

ISLAMABAD:

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said it was crucial for the international community to ‘avoid mistakes’ of the past and pursue positive engagement with the Taliban regime to avert economic collapse and civil war in the country.

Addressing the opening session of the 9th meeting of Troika Plus in Islamabad, the foreign minister said engagement with Afghanistan was important as nobody wished to see civil war and an economic collapse in Kabul.

“Everyone wants terrorist elements operating inside Afghanistan to be tackled effectively and we all want to prevent a new refugee crisis,” he said.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by Special Representatives of China, Pakistan, Russia and the United States, and the visiting delegation of the interim government of Afghanistan led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

This is the first official visit of the interim Afghan FM since the Taliban returned to power after the chaotic exit of US-led foreign forces from the war-torn country in August.

Qureshi said the Troika Plus meeting reflected the common desire to see a “peaceful, stable, unified, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan”.

He further expressed confidence that Troika Plus’ engagement with the new Afghan government would help consolidate peace and stability, promote sustainable economic development and help constrict space for terrorist outfits operating from and within Afghanistan.

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He reiterated that Afghanistan is at the brink of an economic collapse and with international funding dried up, it had become difficult to pay even salaries, let alone pursue development projects.

The FM said the common man was reeling under the effects of a severe drought, adding that any further downward slide would severely limit the new administration’s capacity to run the government.

“It is, therefore, imperative for the international community to buttress provision of humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis,” he stressed and added that health, education and municipal services required urgent attention.

The foreign minister said allowing Afghanistan to access its frozen funds would boost efforts to regenerate economic activities and move the Afghan economy towards stability and sustainability.

Similarly, the UN and its agencies must be urged to find ways to reach out to the common Afghan and help stabilise the situation, he added.

On Pakistan’s direct stake in Afghanistan’s peace and stability as its immediate neighbour, Qureshi said “with a shared heritage and history, we consider every ethnic community of Afghanistan important in the final destiny of the country.”

“Located next door, we have borne the brunt of four decades of conflict and instability in the shape of refugees, drugs and terrorism,” he said. “We see the current situation as an opportunity to end the prolonged conflict.”

He mentioned that Pakistan had already taken a number of steps to facilitate the common citizens in Afghanistan. These include waiver of customs duties on perishable food items to support farmers, provision of humanitarian assistance, facilitation of pedestrian movement, keeping the border open during COVID-19 and visa on arrival for medical cases.

He expressed gratitude to the neighbours of Afghanistan for supporting Pakistan’s call for a regional platform to discuss common concerns and opportunities.

The two meetings in Islamabad and Tehran yielded substantive and forward-looking outcome documents, he said.

He recalled that his visit to Kabul last month helped understand the new Afghan government’s expectations from the international community.

“It also provided us the opportunity to share our assessment with the Taliban leadership and highlight the international community’s expectations of them,” he said.

“We believe Taliban are interested in engagement, as they seek international acceptance and support,” he said.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Qureshi said Pakistan was thankful to Russia, Iran, and Qatar for their responsible role in the talks with the Taliban.

He said peace and stability in Afghanistan will translate into global and regional benefits, adding that the instability in Kabul will have far-reaching consequences not just for its neighbours, but also for the European countries.

Qureshi said Pakistan acknowledged the fact that Afghanistan was a multi-ethnic country, adding that he will meet the Afghanistan foreign minister in the evening in Islamabad.

According to the foreign minister, it was the global responsibility to create a stable Afghanistan, and Pakistan was playing a leading role in the current scenario.